Iganga, (UG):- The exercise of the 2024 National Population and Housing Census in eastern Uganda’s Iganga District started on Friday with a number of challenges has picked momentum with remarkable progress registered on day two of the enumeration.
The district on Friday reported technical and general challenges among others including the faulty tablets and the absence of approved (aprons) for some enumerators, yet these uniforms are aimed at differentiating enumerators from some masqueraders.
These (challenges) were notable in Nakalama Sub County with the chairperson Mr. Kawanguzi Hamidu at the forefront of raising concern over the faulty tablets and the absence of uniforms which he claimed puts the life of enumerators at stake, given the government pronouncement on the appearance of someone before entering homes for enumeration work.
Mr Kawanguzi also told this publication that some enumerators were dumped at the last minute and the tablets were given to other new entrants who didn’t even know how to operate the tablets, stressing that this could interfere with the smooth progress of the long-awaited government program which is conducted every after ten years.
The enumerators who were reportedly removed from the exercise at the last minute were not convinced with the decision taken by their bosses and they were left in disbelief at the sub-county headquarters as their colleagues proceeded to work past lunchtime.
The district ICT officer in Iganga district Mr. Biluru Jonah said over 80 enumerators approached him seeking for guidance on how to open the tablets since others had forgotten how to open the machines.
Ms Sauda Kauma, one of the district officials handling the exercise, admitted that the tablets had some issues and they were working around the clock to rectify the matter.
“On the issue of the enumerators who were reportedly scrapped from the list,” Ms Kauma said they were on the reserve list and not the main list which was designated for fieldwork.
Despite some challenges in other areas, the exercise went smoothly on the second day where people were cooperating with the enumerators by positively responding to questions.
By press time on Saturday afternoon, the enumerators were enjoying a receptive landing in homes and some locals attributed this to the good mobilization by the government ahead of the exercise which is running on the theme, ‘It matters to be counted.’
The census which started on May 10, will run for ten days across the country up to May 19, 2024, and the government through the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) anticipates that the whole population will be captured by the end of the exercise.
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