Language barrier, resistance, faulty tablets mar start of census

Census enumerators and their supervisors on Friday encountered different challenges ranging from language barrier, faulty tablets, resistance by people to be counted, and lack of internet data bundles among others.

For instance, in Kabale District, a 35-year-old passenger aboard a Kampala-bound bus was arrested for allegedly refusing to be enumerated and inciting others to shun the exercise.

The Kabale District Police Commander Mr Joseph Bakaleke identified the accused as Jude Twebaze, a resident of Muyumbu parish in Kyanamira sub-county.

that the accused was arrested a few minutes past midnight in a Kabale-Kampala bound bus as it loaded passengers in Kabale town.

“He was arrested a few minutes past midnight after he refused to be enumerated before he started inciting other passengers into refusing to be counted. We shall release him from police cells because he has proved to be remorseful. We shall not hesitate to arrest any other person that attempts to fail the census program,” Mr Bakaleke said.

At the Malaba border census exercise started a bit late due to delayed issuance of materials like travel bags, aprons, T-shirts and weather guard equipment like umbrellas and gumboots, according to the town clerk Mr Isaac Omella Aseu.

"We were at the border at exactly midnight as required but enumerators had not received materials to assist them during the exercise. Despite the difficulties, we managed to start the exercise but again we were bogged down after a number of tablets developed faults," he said.

Mr Sharon Anyango an enumerator at the Malaba said: “I faced a challenge of language barrier mostly from long-distance drivers with most of them speaking Somali, Lingala and Kiswahili. I approached one truck driver but I was forced to leave him because I could not speak Lingala."

In Ntungamo District, most enumerators also began the exercise without travel bags, aprons, and T-shirts among others.

“We have a challenge of identity, many of our enumerators and supervisors have not received branding materials and people are not trusting them. We had an incident when a female enumerator was taken by the bus as she tried to enumerate the passengers, she lacked identification,” Mr Chris Muheirwe, the UBOS Ntungamo representative, said Friday morning.

Several enumerators say they were affected by a slow network and failure of the system in entering data due to mapping challenges.

In Mbarara City and Mbarara District, enumeration exercise has been delayed in some areas due to some glitches that include faulty gadgets and network access.

Mr Marvin Mugema, one of the enumerators in Mbarara City said he tried to log into the system but failed.

“We try to log in but fail. We have been told to come to the headquarters to have the issue addressed and we are still waiting. Even they have not given us data and we are using our own. Some of the enumerators have not even been allocated where to work. We are not sure if the exercise will start today,” he said at 10AM.

In Serere District, a section of enumerators is facing challenges of poor network, resulting in failure to login and commence the census exercise

Mr Charles Otim, an enumerator allocated to Igola village in Kakus parish said: "We have not been able to login since morning, we have had to call the IT officer for technical help."

Mr Silas Emunyu, the district census IT officer, told this publication that the issues have came up after some enumerators interchanged the login codes they used during the application process.

"I have intervened and found out that some have just forgotten the numbers they were provided with. But we are resolving that," Mr Emunyu explained.

In Gulu City, enumeration officials on Thursday braced for the cold night and risked visiting hideouts for criminals to get street children counted as part of the floating population in the ongoing census.

Gulu City reportedly has hundreds of street children scattered within their hideouts in the slums.

“These people don’t want to see guns, police, soldiers, and government vehicles, they run away immediately. We decided to use security personnel in civilian clothes to make sure that they are reached out and counted like any other Ugandans,’’ Gulu City Mayor, Alfred Okwonga said.

In Entebbe Municipality, the exercise was temporarily suspended in Katabi area after computer tablets availed to enumerators failed to operate, forcing supervisors to withdraw them and convey them to Katabi Town Council office. The early morning downpour also affected the start of the exercise.

In Kamikaze Sub County, Luweero District, about half of the enumeration areas were yet to start the exercise by midday. The enumerators were stranded with the computer tablets after a failed activation process. This forced many residents that had stayed back home waiting for the enumerators to go to their gardens.

In the island district of Kalangala, the exercise had not started by noon due to rain. With over 200 enumerators, a few of them had reached their enumeration areas by Thursday night and others are still stuck at their homes, landing sites, and Kalangala District headquarters.

Enumerators who were assigned to work in islands in the sub-counties of Bubeke, Bufumira, and Mazinga were still stuck at Mweena landing site by 11:00 AM, waiting for the strong waves currently on Lake Victoria to recede and sail.

In some parts of Wakiso District, there was no mobilization of residents, and some residents refused to share their particulars with enumerators, which prompted police officers to intervene. The Wakiso District Chief Administrative Officer, Mr Alfred Malinga, led a team that was meant to register high-ranking government officials staying in the district. However, they have been bounced by security personnel at some residences.

Compiled by Joseph Omollo, Robert Muhereza, Perez Rumanzi, Rajab Mukombozi, Jovita Kyarisiima, Coslin Nakayiira, Julius Byamukama, Simon Peter Emwamu, Emmy Daniel Ojara , Regan Ocaya, Al –Mahdi Ssenkabirwa, Noeline Nabukenya, Richard Kyanjo, David Sekayinga & Dan Wandera