Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) are ready to execute their mission during the National Housing and Population Census 2024, according to the Head of the UPDF Census Committee, Brigadier General Ephraim Mugume.
A total of 500 UPDF soldiers completed a nine-day training on conducting the upcoming National Housing and Population Census at Gaddafi Barracks in Jinja District on Monday.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Brig Gen Mugume said that participants were drawn from all units and formations of the UPDF to work as battalion supervisors and enumerators.
He urged soldiers to utilise the knowledge acquired from the training with the ideological aspect of the UPDF.
“These are the boots on the ground. They are the people who are going to interface with all those who stayed in the barracks during the census night
This team is very ready we have taken them through the concepts and the CAPI, this tablet which will be used to enumerate,” he assured the Census Commissioner, Dr Chris Mukiza.
“We even conducted mock exercises and the results so far are promising.”
He said that since the barracks may not be easily accessible to the (civilian) enumerators, that is why the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) contacted the army to take part in this exercise.
“That’s why we are in this exercise. We have already talked to the officers and the UPDF leadership. My appeal to everyone in the barracks is to cooperate with the enumerators when they come to count you. It is important that we get this information. Be truthful, calm and cooperative.”
He added: “I want to assure you that we as UPDF are ready to conduct this exercise as per the mandate given to us by the constitution of Uganda.”
While officiating the closure of the training, the Executive Director of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards, Dr Chris Mukiza, said, “It was a good idea to have UPDF officers train as supervisors and enumerators, as it would have been difficult for UBOS officials, who are civilians, to access the barracks to count soldiers and their families.”
“We are very satisfied that the trainees have grasped the concepts and definitions and have shown they are ready to conduct the enumeration successfully. I asked them a few questions and they answered them very well.”
He thanked the UPDF for participating in the National Housing and Population Census, emphasising that everyone needs to be counted.
“We are ready to go. All the equipment has already been accessed by the enumerators for practice. We are trying to tie the loose ends to ensure that all the transmission of data to the headquarters is seamless and call upon all Ugandans to be ready on 10th May and be counted,” he added.
The National Housing and Population Census starts on 10 May 2024 and will run for ten days.
