UBOS targets to finalise Census mapping by January next year

By Evans Najuna

KAMPALA – All is set and the government has already facilitated the needed funds to have the National Housing Population Census by early May come next year (2024). This exercise will be digitally done unlike the previous one and among the key frameworks needed during this exercise is Geographical mapping. During this exercise, data will be collected and systematically by using digital technology.

And according the Uganda Bureau of statistics (UBOS) GIS technology (Geographical Information System) is one the best software technology that is recognised for determine what is happening or what features are located inside a specific area/region. Therefore, the Bureau will and has been using this technology as the lead agency in establishing features, mappings and boundaries within these features. The Bureau therefore take a unique role of coordinating, utilizing data and also feeding other government agencies with this data in the country.

Speaking after the annual celebrations of GIS Day (Geographic information system), on Wednesday this week, the Deputy Executive Director of UBOS Mr. Godfrey Nabongo revealed that, in connection with the coming National Housing populatyion Census, the Bureau has already captured 82% of the expected workload interms of picking household infrastructure. Adding that, interms of reaching out, the bureau is in its final 40s of all districts in the whole country, promising that with in two weeks they will be reaching 95% of the work to be completed. And this will be followed by cities in January 2024.

Nyabongo explained that there are reasons as to why they decided to preserve thes cities for later time and among these is because in these cities households tend to change than in rural areas. He explained that this because of their urban set up. He added that, the Bureau decided to do mapping in these Cities closer to census and will enable them to manage interms of experiencing new structures and new relocations. “This will enable us to maintain than overwhelming when it’s done earlier” said Nyabongo.

According to Nyabongo, very soon this exercise will commence in these cities and he urged people in these areas to cooperate and by the end of January they will have done most of them finalising with greater Kampala and Mukono district’s. “As a country we are glad to to be with a Country which is digitally astute because many of our youi people know how to use digital gargets” he explained. Impressing that it will be an easier exercise.

Whereas, the exercise is done digitally, the Bureau’s Deputy Executive Director expressed concerns and challenges faced during this exercise in determining these features, institutions and boundaries especially in areas where there has been creation of new areas and agreements have not been made. Giving an example of where a city is created with Sub-counties and Parishes but the bigger part of a Parish/Sub-county remained out. Adding that severally this has created more conflicts in determining the boundary to which part the particular Sub-county/parish belongs.

Concerning these boundary challenges, Nyabongo urged local leaders together with Local Governments to prepare for the census, calling them to do their best as Local Governments to resolve these boundary conflicts so that can that when enumeration begins they be in know that there’s a conflict or not. He further called upon those aggrieved to burry their conflicts and they may resume after the exercise. Nyabongo appealed to Local government to sensitive the masses tha census has nothing to do with their boundaries.