Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) will in March receive the first batch of tablets to be used during the technologically-driven National Population and Housing Census (NPHC) 2024 exercise.
“The first batch of the tablets is expected by mid-March 2024 and the last batch will be received in early April 2024,” said Dr Chris N. Mukiza, UBOS Executive Director/Census Commissioner.
Dr Mukiza who was addressing the press at Statistics House in Kampala on Thursday, said the bureau has completed identifying both the international and domestic suppliers.
“Procurement of other required materials that will be used by the field staff such as reflector jackets is ongoing,” he noted.
He said the bureau will undertake a recruitment process starting with running an advertisement for the positions of supervisors and enumerators for the district/city, sub-county/town council and parish/ward levels.
“The advertisement is expected to run in late February and this will be followed by the appointment and training of successfully recruited census staff during April before they deployed in May.”
The first day of enumeration, which is set for May 10, was approved as a Census Public Holiday by the cabinet and declared by President Museveni to ensure easy recall of the Census Night during the period of enumeration.
The Census Night will be the night of 9/10 May 2024.
According to Dr Mukiza, the counting will be done to people who live in a household, not family.
He also highlighted that there is a floating population that will also be counted at the point where the night found them.
Dr Mukiza urged the public to embrace the census, which will allow the government to obtain important statistics to enable planning for effective service delivery
Meanwhile, UBOS has implemented several pre-enumeration activities since 2021 in accordance with the NPHC 2024 Master Plan.
The National Population and Housing Census was launched by President Museveni on December 12, 2023 at Kololo independence grounds.
“Geo-mapping of households and enumeration area boundaries (now at 90.3%). The field teams are currently mopping-up the areas that were previously not covered and the cities around the country. The team is set to complete the exercise in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area (GKMPA), comprising Kampala, Mukono and Wakiso districts by the end of March 2024,” said Dr Mukiza.
He said the development of digital maps is now underway to generate Area Maps for the whole country. The Area Maps will facilitate an understanding of the Area Boundaries.