Ubos to involve parish chiefs in next year’s national census

An enumerater records information from workers at Kabale Trinity College in Kabale Town in 2014. PHOTO/FILE

Parish chiefs will be involved in the forthcoming population and housing census, an official from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos) has said.

Ms Aliziki Kaudha Lubega, the director of economic statistics at Ubos Iganga Centre, told Daily Monitor last week that the government has planned next year’s census to reach the parish level.

“It is the first census where we are going to use parish chiefs. They will be trained with the enumerators. The government is interested in the small area statistics to receive information of,  for instance, a child that has been born in a particular area on a daily basis,” Ms Kaudha said.

Cabinet approved a plan to carry out the census between August 24 and 25 next year.
According to the Minister of Information Communication Technology and National Guidance, Dr Chris Baryomunsi, the government has earmarked Shs330b for the exercise. 

“The process is estimated to cost Shs330 billion, which the government will mobilise in the two financial years; FY2022/2023 and 2023/2024. The census will enable the government to establish the number of houses and people and budget accordingly in terms of service delivery to various regions,” Dr Baryomunsi said recently.

Ms Kaudha said the exercise  will be digitalised under the community information system.
 “The census will be digital and its equipment is expensive. The biggest component is buying the tablets that will be used at the parish level,” she said

Ms Kaudha denied reports that private information will be handed over to the government. “The information we give to the government is in aggregate form and we don’t disclose any individual records due to a confidentiality clause,” she said.

The Iganga Resident District Commissioner, Mr Sadala Wandera, urged the Opposition to support the census.
“Even if you came into government, you cannot plan for a population that you don’t know,” he said, adding that a census helps to plan for either the liability population (elder persons), or dependent population.
The government last organised a census in 2014.