2024 Census: UBOS ED Underlines  Critical Role of CAOs, City and Municipal Clerks

Dr Chris Mukiza, Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) Executive Director (ED), has described Chief Administrative Officers ( CAOs,) City and Municipal Clerks as the champions of the upcoming 2024 Uganda’s Population and Housing Census.

The enviable description underscores the critical role the trio of officers must play in order to ensure the success of the 2024 Population and Housing worthwhile exercise. 

The indefatigable ED made the glowing remarks at their (the trio of named officers) quarterly review meeting held at Hotel Africana in Kampala. 

He accordingly asked them to uphold the cause of the forthcoming 2024 Census in order for each and every Ugandan and each and every household in Uganda to get a chance of being covered by the UBOS-sanctioned enumerators under this worthwhile exercise.

Emphasizing the critical role of UBOS, Dr. Mukiza stated, ” As the government body, we are responsible for coordinating, monitoring, and supervising the National Statistical system and we continue to support the Government’s results-based agenda by providing statistics needed for planning and policy formulation”.

Census Commissioners Address Officers

He emphasized that the statistical data and information further support monitoring the performance and development progress of international and national development frameworks.

As you are already aware, Mukiza told the group, ” Enumeration will convene on May 10, 2024, for ten days, through a door-to-door data collection. This will be the first digital census to be conducted in Uganda.”

The Census commissioners also used the fora to inform the officers that the Bureau has been conducting the Household Listing and Mapping exercise throughout the country.

By the time of the meeting, 67005 villages, making up 94 percent of the total villages in Uganda being targeted under the exercise, had been covered by UBOS.

That meant only just a small fraction of 4227 villages were pending being listed and mapped by UBOS by the time of the meeting held at Hotel Africana. 

Greater Kampala Pending Mapping

In terms of percentages, the above-mentioned numerical figures translated to just only 5.9 percent of the villages that were pending listing and mapping UBOS by the time of the Hotel African meeting which Dr Mukiza and the CAOs, City and Municipal clerks shared.

The ED disclosed that the villages that were pending listing and mapping were those found in the Greater Kampala region comprising Mukono, Wakiso, and Kampala itself.  

Dr Mukiza was optimistic that the exercise was going to start soon and in earnest in the Greater Kampala region and be completed in time, setting the stage for the overall National Population and Housing 2024 Census due to start on May 10 this year. 

He reechoed the fact that a total of 120,000 citizens are set to be recruited to work as enumerators during the upcoming 2024 Population and Housing Census.

He underlined that the prospective enumerators will be appointed from districts, cities, and municipal councils by the concerned officers there, urging them to appoint only those qualified and fit to do the job.

Recruitment Process for Census

During the recruitment exercise, UBOS will play merely the role of supervision and coordination of the exercise as per its mandate as in-charge of organizing the Uganda government’s sanctioned census exercises.

He explained that UBOS will run adverts in newspapers, announcing the recruitment, setting out the criteria to be used, and qualifications that potential candidates must possess to secure the jobs.