Ubos to count nine PWD groups

Officials from the National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (Nudipu) have lauded the Uganda  Bureau of Statistics (Ubos) for widening the categories of persons living with disabilities to be considered during this year’s Housing and Population Census exercise.

Nudipu’s Director for Programmes  John Chris Ninsiima told journalists at a joint press conference organised by Nudipu in partnership with Uganda Media Women’s Association( UMWA) and  East Africa Centre for Disability Law and Policy in Ntinda, a Kampala suburb, yesterday that the categories of PWDs had been increased from three to nine.

“During the 2014 census, only three categories of PWDs such as the blind, deaf and those with physical disabilities were considered, this has since been increased to nine categories,” Mr Ninsiima said.

According to him, the new categories include; the little people (dwarfism), those living with albinism, multiple disabilities such as the deaf-blind, those suffering from hydrocephalus, cerebral pulse, and mental health challenges, including autism spectrum.

According to Mr Didacus Okoth, spokesperson of Ubos, the decision to broaden the categories of PWDs was made following consultative meetings held with PWDs leaders during the questionnaire design process for the 2024 national census.

“All that is captured because those categories of the population raised concern that such categories were not included in the previous census. When we were developing a questionnaire, we went through what we call stakeholder engagement and as we did those consultations, people kept sharing their ideas,  some of which were incorporated into the questionnaire,” Mr Okoth said. 

 Uganda is set to conduct the National Population and Housing Census 2024 with the Census Night being May 9. The census will be conducted in 10 days from May 9 to May 19 under the theme, “It matters to be counted.”

 Mr Ninsiima is optimistic that a fair representation of PWDs will be achieved.

According to the 2014 census report, Persons with disabilities represented 12.4 per cent of the total population.

 Mr Ninsiima urged households with PWDs to desist from hiding such members, saying they ought to be counted just like any other Ugandan.

 “Desist from the habit of hiding PWDs. Be readily available for the upcoming census. We call upon parents, caregivers and guardians of persons with disabilities to avail them for counting,” he said.

He stressed the need for enumerators to capture information about PWDs in detail.

Dr Abdul Busuulwa, the executive director of the East Africa Centre for Disability Law and Policy, raised concern about the persistent discrimination and isolation of PWDs.

 “They are often hidden in houses, many do not attend school and they are never taken to hospital when they fall sick. Most of them die young, yet they can also thrive when given the necessary support,”  Dr Busuulwa, who is visually impaired, holds a degree in Mass Communication, a Masters Degree in Human Resource Management and a Phd in Sustainable Development, said.

He tasked community leaders to work together to mobilise PWDs to be counted.       

“If you are not counted, it is very hard for people to say that you count [matter]. When we talk about disability, they think it is a very insignificant number. These numbers must come out to help the government to plan better for all people, including persons with disabilities,” Dr Busuulwa said.   

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