As Uganda prepares for its 2024 National Housing and Population Census, an important detail has emerged: babies born on May 10, the first day of the census, will not be counted. This decision was announced by Dr. Albert Byamugisha, the Chairperson of the Board of Directors at the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS).
Dr. Byamugisha clarified that the reference night for the census will be Thursday, May 9, 2024. Therefore, individuals born on Friday, May 10, will not be included in the census count. This announcement was made during a meeting with Local Council leaders (LCIs and LCIIs) of Mbarara City, aimed at assessing their readiness for the census exercise.
Addressing the LCIs and LCIIs, Dr. Byamugisha emphasized the importance of accurately counting the population, stating that excluding babies born on the first day of the census is a standard practice to ensure data accuracy.
Meanwhile, local leaders, including Francis Basiime, the Chairperson of Kiswahili Cell in Mbarara City South division, have assured their readiness to support the census process. Basiime, who also serves as the chairperson of all Local Councils (LCs) in Mbarara City, expressed their commitment to assisting enumerators to ensure the accuracy of the collected data.
The 2024 National Housing and Population Census is scheduled to run from May 10th to May 19th, with May 10th being gazetted as a public holiday to facilitate the census exercise.
Local leaders have urged residents to cooperate fully with the enumerators to ensure that every household is accurately counted. They emphasized the importance of the census in national planning, resource allocation, and policy formulation.
The census will provide crucial data on Uganda's population size, distribution, and other demographic characteristics. This information is vital for the government and other stakeholders in planning and implementing various development projects and programs across the country.
As Uganda gears up for this important national exercise, all eyes are on ensuring that the census process runs smoothly and that the data collected accurately reflects the country's demographic landscape.
On the other hand, The National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (NUDIPU) is urging parents and guardians of children with disabilities to ensure they are counted in the upcoming Census. John Chris Ninsima, the Director of Programs at NUDIPU, emphasizes that this will help policymakers allocate resources more equitably. Currently, there is a lack of disaggregated data on persons with disabilities, making it difficult for the government to allocate appropriate budgets. Ninsiima highlights that there are nine categories of persons with disabilities in Uganda and urges enumerators to recognize all of them during the census.
