A team from UBOS has been deployed across all nine districts of Karamoja to capture the details of administrative units, household heads, physical features, and institutions such as health facilities, schools, and churches among others.
The Uganda Bureau of Statistics is undertaking census mapping in the
Karamoja sub-region as part of the preparations for the 2024 National
Population Census.
The census which is conducted once every ten years was slated for August 2023, but due to financial constraints, it was pushed to May 10th, 2024.
A team from UBOS has been deployed across all nine districts of
Karamoja to capture the details of administrative units, household heads,
physical features, and institutions such as health facilities, schools, and churches
among others.
Didacus Okoth, the Senior Public Relations Officer at the Uganda Bureau of
Statistics said that they are undertaking the mapping exercise to update the
boundary demarcations, households, and social facilities for purposes of
establishing enumeration areas for the conducting of the forthcoming National
Population and Housing Census.
He said the mapping is also aimed at making work easier and ensuring that
the census enumeration is completed within the set period of 10 days.
He added that the Bureau is working with the district local government
while implementing the mapping and listing exercise and to establish the number
of enumerators and supervisors required to undertake the census.
Okoth said that the Bureau has generated more questionnaires that will
cater to every group of people including the minority communities,
institutions, and the floating population during the census.
Okoth revealed that they will undertake the digital census in order to
get timely results and the process involves the use of electronic devices such as
tablets during data collection.
He said the digital process will also include the use of interactive
satellite maps to generate enumeration area maps during the training of
trainers and enumerators recruited in each district.
//Cue in : ‘’we are in the...
Cue out: "...part of this country’’.//
However, the local authorities in the districts of Amudat and
Nakapiripirit cited unregulated migration of people, poor internet
connectivity, and poor road network among others as the major hindrances to the
exercise. They said that UBOS should consider setting up mechanisms that will
enable them to come up with the actual statistics despite the challenges.
Joseph Lobot, the LCV Chairperson of Amudat noted that there
should be a special approach to be used to capture pastoralists who are
migrating to different places in search of water and pastures for their
livestock.
Lobot noted that such movements have always frustrated their efforts to
ascertain the actual data on the population of people in Amudat district.'
Lobot said they want enumerators to be recruited from within the area so
that they are able to spend the night from to kraal and ensure that all the data
for pastoralists are captured.
//Cue in : ‘’ while you re...
Cue out : "...they are moving’’.//
Geoffrey Akol, the Amudat Deputy Resident District Commissioner noted
that they are always frustrated by the influx of Pokot communities from the
neighboring Kenya who come over to the district to access social services.
Akol urged the UBOS to consider the population from the neighboring
Pokot community in Kenya so that it helps the government plan for enough
resources.
He also noted that there is a need to center the census at the Parishes
because of the distant sub-county headquarters which may block other people.
Akol observed the challenges of poor road network and internet
connectivity that may hinder the work of enumerators.
//Cue in : ‘’I realized that…
Cue out: "...number of people’’.//
John Nangiro, the LCV Chairperson of Nakapiripirit noted there
is a need to use the Global Positioning System-GPS to establish the boundaries due to unregulated
migrations from the neighboring districts.
Nangiro said that the Ministry of Lands and Local Government should
consider opening up the boundaries before the numeration day so that they are
able to determine the actual population per district.
He noted that currently, they are hosting a number of Pokot communities
from Amudat who do not want to be counted under the district and yet are
congesting service delivery.
//Cue in : ‘’ we will have...
Cue out: "...would be the best’’.//
Currently, the country is still relying on the 2014 National Population
Census which put Uganda’s statistics at an estimate of 36 million.
