UBOS combs up remaining households in greater Kampala, hard to reach areas

By Evans Najuna

KAMPALA – Earlier this month, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) commenced the National Population and Housing Census 2024 enumeration exercise.

The exercise began on Census night, the 9th May, and was meant for only 10 days, which ended on Sunday the 19th of May.

However, because of the number of households within greater Kampala and other weather related conditions in some Districts such as landslides and flooding, it delayed the completion of the exercise as it was planned and expected.

This created a need for more time to ensure complete coverage of households in these areas.

From this development and according to the press release on Thursday, 23rd May 2024, the Bureau has requested and reminded the public, especially the unenumerated households, to avail themselves and be counted in the National Population and Housing Census 2024 exercise.

In the statement, UBOS thanked the general public for their cooperation and patience during the Census 2024 enumeration exercise.

“The general public is hereby informed that there is an ongoing mopping-up exercise to complete the National Population and Housing Census 2024 in Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area (Kampala Capital City Authority, and Districts of Mukono and Wakiso)” the statement reads.

They informed the public that the mopping-up exercise is also ongoing in hard-to-reach Districts that experienced landslides and flooding before and during the enumeration period.

According to this statement, teams from UBOS have been allocated respective Divisions, Municipalities, Sub-Counties and Town Councils to conduct the mopping-up assignment.

“This exercise will continue until Sunday, the 26th May 2024 to ensure complete coverage of all Households” said UBOS.

They, therefore, requested the general public, particularly Household Heads, who have not yet been counted to reach out to their area LC1 Chairpersons.

This is to enable them to make an appointment when an Enumerator can visit their Household within the stated mopping-up period ending Sunday 26th May 2024.

The Bureau has since pinned call numbers to quicken the exercise in the affected areas.

In greater Kampala, and other areas, the contact mobile telephone numbers include; Kawempe Division – 0772369579, Makindye Division – 0772483403, Kampala Central & Makindye Ssabagabo – 0772411067, Rubaga Division – 0782 350589, Nakawa Division – 0772520119, Wakiso & Mukono – 0772 407860, Wakiso & Mukono – 0772492162, Wakiso- 0773 312792, Entebbe – 0776 944127, General – 0755 342128 or 0779 129204.

Relatedly, on Monday evening while appearing on the daily radio talkshow on 93.3 Kfm ‘the hot seat’, Bureau’s Senior Public Relations Officer Didacus Okoth noted that, the National Population and Housing Census 2024 undertaking was designed to capture a comprehensive statistical data and information based on stakeholder demands and public interest.

He emphasized that the Census results will serve as benchmark information to appropriate the performance of both national and international development frameworks such as Vision 2040, SDGs, and Parish Development Model, among others.

He commended the Bureau under the stewardship of the Bureau’s Executive Director, who is also the National Census Commissioner Dr. Chris Mukiza for pioneering the country’s first ever digital census, which he termed as conducting the first paperless census.

He encouraged the public that within the remaining mopping up period, they should get in touch with their area LC Chairpersons incase they have not been counted or directly reach out on mobile phone numbers that was made public to enusure that appointment can be created to guarantee that no household is left behind in the Census exercise because “It Matters to be Counted”, quoting the Census slogan.