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How Uganda has changed in the last 10 years

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Construction of Karuma dam started in 2013. By the end of 2024, it would have been constructed for over 10 years. PHOTO | FILE

The influx of more people from villages to towns has forced the number of Ugandans residing in rental houses to increase as compared to those who own their own homes, the comparison of the 2014 and 2024 National Population and Housing Census (NPHC) reports shows.

This is one of the changes Uganda has registered in the last 10 years, according to the Monitor analysis of the two reports.

The number of Uganda’s households increased by 45 percent, housing part of the 11.3 million more people who joined the country’s population since the last census was conducted.

During the May 19 census night, 99.1 percent of people who were enumerated were Ugandans while the rest were foreigners, according to the 2024 NPHC main report, an indication that the number of foreigners dropped from the 1.5 percent recorded in 2014.

Seven out of every 10 households in rural areas are now living in their own homes, indicating a decline as compared to 2014 when the rate of rural households owning housing units was at 83 percent.

On a lighter note, 49 percent of households in urban areas now own a home compared to 43 percent recorded 10 years ago.

The rate of households renting houses in urban areas dropped from 50 percent registered in 2014 to the current 13 percent. In villages, however, the comparison of the two reports shows that four out of 10 households are renting compared to the 12 percent rate in 2014.

The two reports show that more Ugandans are now sleeping in iron sheets roofed houses, and the number of those sleeping in grass-thatched houses has also dropped by 7.1 percent.

A settlement in Banda, Kampala. Inset is an aerial view of some of the houses found in Acholi quarters and Kiganda zone in Kampala. PHOTOS/SAMILU BUSEIN

Fifty-three percent of households are residing in a single room compared to 47 percent in 2014 and even those in double rooms are declining.

Relatedly, houses constructed using bricks have also doubled while those with mud have also significantly reduced.

Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba recently said the government is reviewing the National Land Policy to enable more Ugandans to purchase land and also work on the prices of building materials to enable them to own houses.

With the majority of the rural and urban dwellers earning a monthly pay of Shs220,000 and Shs168,000 in areas respectively, Ms Nabakooba said a few Ugandans can now ably construct a decent house, which goes up to Shs183m.

Access to television has also grown from 13.9 percent to 39 percent, with the census showing a big proportion of Ugandans are now accessing information using televisions. Ownership of radio sets has reduced from nearly 60 percent to 41 percent.

A man watches Parliament proceedings during the passing of the Anti-Gay law in 2023. PHOTO/FILE/AFP

The number of Ugandan households accessing improved water sources has also increased in the last 10 years both in rural and urban areas.

Piped water remains the major source of clean water for urban dwellers while rural households majorly access clean water from protected springs and boreholes.

The reports show Uganda is food insecure with severe food insecurity recorded in Karamoja and the Northern region at 33 percent rate.

Catholics dominate the biggest population size in the last 10 years. Despite the reduction in percentage of Anglicans from 32 percent to 30 percent, the number of Anglicans also dominated their second position, while Muslims are the third largest number in the country at 13.6 percent of the total 45.9m population. The number of Pentecostal has significantly increased from 11.1 percent to 14.7 percent of the population. The number of Seventh-day Adventists has increased from 1.7 percent to 2.1 percent.

In line with education, the country saw about a two-percentage point increase in literacy rate, from 72.2 percent in 2014 to 74 percent in 2024, falling short of the overall government target of a 100 percent literacy rate.

This improvement is a similar trend between 2002 and 2014 where the literacy rate also increased by around two percentage points from 70 percent to 72.2 percent. This indicates there is a need to assess the effectiveness of the current interventions aimed at improving the literacy rate and also address gaps such as poverty that hampers parents from educating their children.

Primary one pupils attending class under a tree at Namulo Primary School in Himutu Sub County, Butaleja District. Photo/ Yahudu Kitunzi

The data for 2024, however, shows that the number of people going for post-secondary education has increased, from four percent in 2014 to seven percent in 2024. However, the percentage of people without any formal education also increased from 18.9 percent to 21.8 percent.

"If a country allows its education not to be for the most vulnerable and left to the most powerful, then we failed those kids (children)," Prof Peter Waiswa, a researcher and lecturer at Makerere University, says.

In the transport sector, there is a decline in the percentage of people owning bicycles from 31.5 percent to 20 percent, over the past 10 years while those with motorcycles also increased from 8.6 percent to 11.6 percent between 2014 and 2024.

The Ubos data indicates that percentage of people owning motor vehicles stagnated at around 3.9 percent although the data from the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) indicates that motor vehicle imports have been increasing.

For instance, between July and December of the 2020/2021 financial year, URA said there were 25,000 motor vehicle units imported into the country and in the same period in the 2019/2020 financial year, 23,000 units were imported.

On the issue of health, there has been a decline in child and maternal deaths, partly due to rising immunisation coverage and access to health services.

Pregnant women attend antenatal care services at Kawempe Hospital recently. PHOTO/FILE

Maternal deaths declined from over 400 per 100,000 live births to 207 per 100,000 live births between 2014 and 2024, according to Ubos.

However, Prof Waiswa, who is also a public health researcher, says the country still needs to do more in terms of investment in the health sector and ensuring quality services for the mothers and babies.