Archbishop Semogerere Appeals to Catholics to Actively Participate in Census

The Archbishop of Kampala, His Grace Paul Semogerere, has expressed his full support for the upcoming National Population and Housing Census activities and called on his congregants to actively participate.

He made the pledge Thursday, May 2, 2024, at Rubaga Cathedral where the Chairman of the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) Board, Dr. Albert Byamugisha, paid him a visit.

Dr Byamugisha updated the Archbishop on the progress of the upcoming census exercise, explaining that it is aimed at counting the number of people in the country so as to allow the government to plan for them.

“The data compiled from the census will help you as well plan for your followers,” Dr Byamugisha told the Archbishop.

He further debunked the false narratives that the census is being conducted to ascertain people’s assets so that they can be taxed, saying the information gathered from the public is confidential and will only be used for planning purposes.

In turn, His Grace Semogerere appealed to believers to actively participate in the census exercise so that they could be availed of services.

“Personally, I would like to know how many Catholics we are in Uganda. I would also like to know the number of other religious denominations in the country in case we need to cooperate or reach out to them,” he said.

He urged all religious denominations and the entire Catholic community to actively engage in the census, which is set to commence on May 10, 2024.

According to the Archbishop, there is a growing trend of falsification of data in the country, a vice that needs to be checked.

“You know in Uganda, we normally engage in fake things and then present them as accurate data,” he noted, urging enumerators to carry out the exercise with utmost respect and dedication.

He said the Catholic Church would support and cooperate with the field staff by providing accurate information and will also stay home and be counted.

According to UBOS, exactly seven days from now, the Bureau will begin the task of gathering data on Uganda’s population, covering aspects like gender, religion, and housing among other factors in the upcoming.