UBOS to comb out residual households in greater Kampala, hard to reach areas

By Evans Najuna

KAMPALA – Earlier this month, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) commenced the exercise of National population and housing Census 2024. This 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 some challenges with in greater Kampala and other areas th exercise didn’t commence as it was expected. This resulted into unfinished enumeration of some households in these areas.

From this development and according to the press release on Thursday, the Bureau has reminded the public especially to unenumerated residues to avail themselves and be capture in the national 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, a 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 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 reference number to quicken the exercise in the affected areas. In greater Kampala, the areas and contact person includes; Kawempe Division – 0772369579, Makindye Division – 0772483403, Kampala Central & Makindye Ssabagabo – 0772411067, Rubaga Division – 0782 350589, Nakawa Division – 0772520119, Wakiso & Mukono – 0772 407860, Wakiso & Mukono – 0772492160, Wakiso- 0773 312792, Entebbe – 0776 944127, General – 0755 342128 or 0779 129204.

Relatedly, while appearing on the daily talkshow on 93.3 Kfm ‘the hot seat’, bureau’s head of public relations Didacus Okoth noted that, the Uganda Census 2024 undertaking was meant to capture a lot of data in relation to public interest. He emphasized that the undertaking is responsible for different valubles both National and international especially on Vision 2040, SDGs, Elderly more so on government programmes like Parish Development Modal. He added that UBOS wanted a wider comprehensive report because it can’t have them differently. He commended the bureau under the stewardship of the Bureau’s Executive Director Dr. Chris Mukiza for set a pace for this country by conducting the first ever paperless census. He noted that where there were challenges it was leaning and with time these will be corrected.