Following the conclusion of the National Population and Housing Census exercise, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos) has announced that provisional results will be released in September. The precise date has not been set, but preliminary results are anticipated in June, with the final results expected in December. The release of provisional results marks one of several post-census activities conducted by Ubos.
Ubos spokesperson Didacus Okoth outlined the next steps in the census process, stating that the agency will proceed with data processing, editing, and analysis until November. These activities will include a post-enumeration survey data collection, a sample survey conducted on selected households to verify the accuracy and quality of the census. Results from this survey will be compared with the census data before a comprehensive analysis and conclusion are made.
Further analysis of the census data and its utilization will be carried out by Ubos from January to March 2025, culminating in an administrative report and archiving by November 2025. No further extensions are planned.
The census, which began on May 10 and was expected to conclude by May 19, faced several challenges, including technical issues with the gadgets used by enumerators. These difficulties led to multiple deadline extensions, with the final deadline set for May 25. In an official statement on May 23, Ubos Executive Director Dr. Chris Mukiza confirmed that the extended deadline aimed to ensure complete coverage in the greater Kampala Metropolitan area, which includes the districts of Mukono and Wakiso, as well as areas affected by landslides and flooding.
“Teams from Ubos have been allocated respective divisions, municipalities, sub-counties, and town councils to conduct the mopping-up assignment,” Dr. Mukiza said, emphasizing that the exercise would continue until May 26 to ensure all households were counted.
He urged those who had not been counted to reach out to their local council chairpersons to schedule an appointment with an enumerator.
Despite these efforts, some Ugandans reported that they were not visited by enumerators. Betty Lubwama, a resident of Mukono District, expressed her frustration, saying, “I have not been counted and neither has anyone in my household.”
Enumerators faced various challenges during the exercise, including delayed payments and hostility from some households. One enumerator, speaking anonymously, mentioned the irony of uncounted households being those that were hostile.
“It has been a tough job,” he said, noting that enumerators were promised a daily allowance of Shs50,000 for the 10-day period initially planned for the census.
The 2024 census, following the last one in 2014, is part of a decennial effort to gather data essential for national planning. Uganda's population is currently estimated at 46 million.
