KAMPALA, UGANDA: The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) has tabled a budget worth Shs138bn as it seeks to conduct the 2022 National Demographic and Housing Survey.
This was revealed by UBOS Executive Director Mr. Chris Mukiza while appearing before Parliament’s Finance Committee to present review on the Financial Performance for the statistics body for FY 2019/2020.
According to Mukiza, UBOS requires Shs138.6bn to carry out the 2022 census of livestock and 2022 national population and housing census. He added that even though the last census was last done in 2014, they have decided to have the next census next year to enable them to have up to date data that will be used in implementing National Development Plan 3.
“There are indications from the Ministry of Finance that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Budget recently recommended additional funds for Census of Livestock and 2022 National Population and Housing Census amounting to Shs138.6Bn and Shs11Bn for the redevelopment of Entebbe, totaling to Shs150.23bn,” Mukiza said.
UBOS earlier this week revealed that the 2022 national census will be carried out between August and September.
Although the census is meant to be conducted after every ten years, the 2022 census will come two years early to enable the Bureau catch up with the time lost for holding the 2014 census late.
“We last conducted one in 2014, by that time we were late, we were supposed to have conducted it in 2012, the other one had been conducted in 2002, so following the cycle, it should have been conducted in 2012, so we delayed, we almost failed to conduct it. So we want to come back,” said Mukiza.
It should be recalled that in January 2019, the request by UBOS for funds to kick start activities for the census was rejected by Parliament, on grounds that the change in timeline would confuse the public.
During today’s meeting, the request wasn’t under contention, save for concerns raised by Henry Musasizi (Rubanda East), Syda Bumba (Nakaseke North) and Charles Illukor (Kumi county) who lashed out at the agency for producing what they termed unsatisfactory data on unemployment and rural communities.
However, Mukiza attributed the variances on the international standards the Bureau uses which has prompted UBOS to design its own parameters to define unemployment.
The Bureau is grappling with funding shortage to a tune of Shs41.07bn among which include Shs6.40bn in staff wages, Shs2.70bn for the purchase of motor vehicles to replace the old fleet, Shs1Bn for the man power of surveys among other items.
Musasizi also urged the Bureau to conduct a census on wildlife species, saying absence of tourism data has hampered planning for the tourism sector.
According to the national statistics body Uganda currently has a population of nearly 45 million.
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