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Speaker raises concern over public data discrepancies
Kampala, Uganda | PWATCH UG | Speaker Anita Among has directed the government to provide Parliament with the full 2024 Census report, following public criticism regarding discrepancies in the provisional census data. She emphasized that Parliament needs to thoroughly review the official report to address the discrepancies highlighted by various stakeholders.
During a plenary session on Wednesday 23rd October 2024, Amos Lugoloobi, Minister of State for Planning, attempted to present a statement explaining the inconsistencies. However, MPs raised concerns about whether a statement would sufficiently clarify the issues, instead calling for the full census report.
“First of all, we need to know the source of this document,” Speaker Among remarked. “The minister must have a report from which he is quoting these figures. We need an authentic document. This partial statement is not enough.”
Jonathan Odur (Erute South) opposed the Ministry of Finance’s plan to table a statement, arguing that the initial census report had been withdrawn following public allegations of data manipulation and inaccuracy.
“When you consider the legal framework guiding the census, it requires a thorough interrogation of 36 parameters. What we’ve seen so far indicates the census was conducted poorly, with claims of manipulated and cooked data. Many households were never even approached by the enumerators, and the provisional report has since been recalled,” Odur stated.
He further argued, “There is no foundation for Parliament to consider such a statement when what is needed is the official census report, not a mere explanation from the minister.”
However, Ibrahim Ssemujju (Kira Municipality) challenged Odur’s outright rejection of the statement, arguing that Parliament should at least review the statement before dismissing it.
“The Minister of Finance undertook to address the concerns raised. The procedural question here is whether we can rule out the statement before even hearing what it contains,” Ssemujju noted.
In response, Minister Lugoloobi assured Parliament that the final census report would be released in December 2024. He clarified that the currently available data is provisional, with the comprehensive report still pending.
“In December 2024, we will present the final National Census report. The data we have now is provisional,” Lugoloobi confirmed.
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SOURCE: PARLIAMENT WATCH UG
