DATA WAR! UBOS DECLARES ICT MINISTRY’S NATIONAL DATA STRATEGY ILLEGAL

KAMPALA — The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) has launched a scathing attack on the Ministry of Information, Communication Technology and National Guidance (MoICT&NG), accusing it of overstepping its legal mandate by launching a National Data Strategy.

In a strongly worded statement seen by this publication, issued on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, UBOS Executive Director and Chief Statistician, Dr. Chris Mukiza, described the strategy as illegal, irregular, redundant and a threat to the legal framework governing Uganda’s National Statistical System.

UBOS argues that the launch of the strategy violates the provisions of the Uganda Bureau of Statistics Act, 1998, which establishes the Bureau as the principal agency responsible for collecting, coordinating, monitoring and supervising statistical activities in the country.

The Bureau insists that the law gives it the authority to oversee statistical operations, standardise data collection and analysis, review national and local government data collection initiatives, and approve instruments used in gathering statistical information.

According to UBOS, the ICT Ministry has no legal mandate to spearhead matters relating to official statistics, warning that the newly launched strategy threatens the authority established under the UBOS Act.

“The launch of that ‘National Data Strategy’ is an existential threat to the UBOS Act and is, therefore, illegal, irregular, redundant and adds no value to the National Statistical System,” the statement reads.

The statistics agency further argues that the issues the new strategy seeks to address are already adequately covered by existing legal and policy frameworks.

These include the UBOS Act, the Plan for National Statistics Development, which covers the entire National Statistical System, the UBOS Strategic Plan and the Data Quality Assessment Framework.

UBOS maintains that these frameworks already provide the necessary structures for coordinating statistical activities, ensuring data quality and supporting evidence-based planning and decision-making.

In an unusually hard-hitting warning, the Bureau urged the public to treat the newly launched strategy with “the utmost contempt it deserves,” signalling a serious institutional dispute over who has the authority to oversee Uganda’s national data agenda.

Dr Mukiza reaffirmed the Bureau’s commitment to providing high-quality statistical services to support government planning, policy formulation and decision-making.

The statement, however, did not indicate whether UBOS had initiated any formal legal proceedings against the ICT Ministry over the launch of the strategy.

The controversy raises questions about coordination between government institutions in managing national data and ensuring that statistical initiatives comply with the law.

Further clarification from the Ministry of Information, Communication Technology and National Guidance would be necessary to establish its position on the concerns raised by UBOS.