UBOS assures Parliament on country’s readiness for 2024 national housing population census

By Evans Najuna

Kampala – The executive director of Uganda National Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), Dr. Chris Ndatira Mukiza has assured Members of Parliament on the committees of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and Budget on the country’s readiness for 2024 national housing population census (2024 NHPC)

Dr. Mukiza was on Tuesday interacting with members of these committees during a breakfast meeting between members of the two committees and UBOS management staff at Serena Hotel in Kampala. In his submission, Mukiza appreciated their endeavours and support they have rendered to the Bureau.

“I take the opportunity to first of all, welcome all of you to this breakfast engagement, and to thank you all for the support you accord to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics as we execute our mandate of producing quality statistics for the country and maintaining a coherent National Statistical System (NSS),” Dr. Mukiza noted.

He further noted that Tuesday’s interaction was to share with them (Members of Parliament) concerning the Bureau’s overview and mandate it has fulfill in conducting periodical surveys, censuses, and producing statistical bulletins and reports as result. He reminded the legislators about the forthcoming national exercise which the Bureau undertaking this year and highlighted on the national flagship program in 2024.

According Dr. Mukiza, Uganda will be carrying her 6th post-independence National Population and Housing Census (NPHC) which is scheduled for May 2024. The enumeration exercise will run from 10-19th May country wide. Dr. Mukiza who is Uganda’s chief statistician explained the course progress the Bureau has made, he further appealed these legislators to continue the good job of being census champions and ambassadors at all levels including their constituencies.

“With respect to the census 2024, it is historic and special in many ways for instance, aside of being the first ever digital census in Uganda, it is the immediate census we are carrying out after the Covid-19 pandemic that had ravaging effects on our economy,” the ED said .

In addition, Dr. Mukiza noted that the country is in the middle of implementing a national broad-based development program of Parish Development Model (PDM) – a billed to transform every Ugandan into the money economy, adding that the results of the census will be crucial in determining how the country fixes the development bottlenecks and have them incorporated in our NDP IV to improve the welfare of every Ugandan.

“The good thing is that, being a digital census, the turnaround time for processing the results will be shorter than ever before,” Mukiza said.

He promised the MPs and the country that the Bureau is looking forward to having the final results ready by the end of the year, noting that the Bureau has so far produced 2 reports in 2024; Uganda Health Demographic report, Livestock Census and Poverty status report will be produced in June 2024.

Meanwhile, the Bureau also produces weekly inflation numbers. “We can only achieve this timeline by continuing to work with you to ensure that all the census activities are implemented to the dot but more important,” Mukiza said.

He criticised some of the government MDAs for not fully utilizing their reports but credited the Bank of Uganda, Uganda Police, Uganda Prisons who have been able to make use of it.  Dr. Mukiza also appealed to the legislators to rally their colleagues on public awareness for the forthcoming census to be achieve under the Theme: “It matters to counted.”

In his closing remarks, Amos Kankunda, the Rwampara County MP who doubles as the Parliamentary Chairperson of the Committee of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and behalf of fellow members, applauded the work done by the Bureau.

He noted that as political leaders, they implore them to produce quality information that will help them to which is a matter to be counted and added that their work is very critical for the development of the Country. He on behalf Parliament promised and pledged for more support and awareness.

UBOS has been able to procure a total of over 120,000 tablets which will be used during the census and currently at the headquarters in Kampala. These have finger prints and will be used for future use as each parish will remain with two pieces.