Census workers get more Shs5b for facilitation
Census officials undertake the oath of secrecy in Nakasongola District recently. The exercise is scheduled to start on August 28. Photo by Dan Wandera
What you need to know:
The national Population and Housing Census is expected to cost about Shs200 billion. .
Kampala- Facilitation fee for census enumerators has been increased from Shs5,000 to Shs10,000 daily after it emerged that the initial sum was challenged on the grounds that it is too little.
However, the national census coordinator, Mr Francis Mashate, said at a news conference yesterday in Kampala that the increase became eminent after learning that most enumerators (field officers who will collect the information) walk several distances, sometimes up to 20 or more kilometres to reach the training centres.
And throughout the enumeration, another Shs3,000 will be given daily to the enumerators for refreshment while in the course of their work.
He said: “This additional amount will add up to about Shs5 billion in total. So it may look a small addition but its multiplier effect is huge. And the reason we are doing this, particularly the Shs5,000 addition, is to beef up the money we have been giving the enumerators for transport.”
Mr Mashate continued: “We are not getting this amount outside our budget. It is part of the Shs90 billion given to us this financial year, 2014/15 for census.”
After the entire exercise the enumerators, who are about 83,000 in number, will be entitled to Shs200,000 each. This means that each enumerator will in total have gotten Shs330,000 in total after the counting exercise has been concluded. In total, the Uganda National Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) Population and Housing Census will cost about Shs200 billion.
Meanwhile, the statistic agency, has said all the necessary census requirement have been transported to the districts where it will be redistributed to the various locations—grassroots.
The census, which start on August 28 and end on September 6, will be conducted strictly during the day unlike the previous enumerations where the activity was done overnight.
