The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) has dismissed reports claiming that enumeration devices (Tablets) have failed to work on the first day of the National Housing and Population Census 2024.
Following widespread reports of “failures” countrywide, Alfred Geresom Musamali, Publicity and Advocacy Advisor of National Population and Housing Census 2024, issued a statement saying the delays in certain places were caused by technical challenges in the Computer Aided Personal Interview (CAPI) machines “we are using for the first time to collect the data”.
According to him, some enumerators faced logging-in challenges because the technology in new and some “machines that somehow slipped through the process without the relevant software being properly installed”.
However, in a statement issued Friday evening, the Census Commissioner and UBOS Executive Director, Dr Chris Mukiza, said in the majority of the districts, enumeration started smoothly with 94,099 enumerators and supervisors having been assigned roles and responsibilities on the enumeration system.
“The enumerators who have been assigned responsibilities are executing their assignments without any problem,” he clarified.
He said the remaining 20,000 enumerators are the ones reporting “machine failures” and most of them were hired behind the official electronic recruitment system by respective Local Governments.
“Management has guided the District Census Officers and District Census Commissioner Representatives to fasten assigning roles and responsibilities to the affected enumerators to enable them to perform their enumeration duties effectively,” he stated.
He added: “Uganda Bureau of Statistics management would, therefore, wish to assure the public that enumeration devices and the census application are operating well and the enumeration exercise is expected to be smooth going forward until 19th May 2024.”