By Mulengera Reporters
The Executive Director for Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), Dr. Chris Mukiza, has called on political and technical leaders in all local governments (districts, cities, municipalities and below) to mobilize people to enthusiastically participate in the ongoing and upcoming national surveying activities across the country.
In a public notice, Dr. Mukiza urges local government leaders to embrace and support thousands of enumerators that UBOS has deployed across the country by providing them with accurate information while mobilizing other stakeholders to do the same.
There are three sets of census and data collection surveys that UBOS is currently undertaking on behalf of the government of Uganda. And these include the Baseline Education Census 2025 in conjunction with the Education Ministry; the Uganda Aquaculture Census in conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture (MAAIF) and the Labor Market Survey in conjunction with the Ministry of Gender, Labour & Social Development.
Whereas the education census began on 7th April and will run up to 30th June, the one on Aquaculture commences in May which is next month. The Labor Market Survey is already ongoing too. The education one will cover all learning institutions in Uganda from nursery to Universities-encompassing the pre-primary, primary, secondary, vocational and higher institutions of learning. It will cover both government-owned and private institutions.
The more than 8,500 enumerators, who are already out in the field working in Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area districts of Kampala, Wakiso & Mukono, will be collecting bio-data on learners, members of staff, and on the institutions’ physical infrastructure. Dr. Mukiza says that the data collected will help enhance planning and policy decision-making in the education sector.
Data relating to the institutions’ ownership and learning materials’ availability will equally be collected. Yet for all this data collection to succeed, parents have to enable learners to answer the enumerators’ questions accurately by availing them with correct information regarding their dates of birth, NINs and Learners Identification Numbers (LINs).
The Aquaculture census (chiefly relating to fishing activities) will see the enumerators collect primary structural data on aquaculture activities specifically regarding the numbers, size and distribution of aquaculture holdings, characteristics of aquaculture households, land use and other inputs.
The overall idea is to collect comprehensive and accurate data on the aquaculture sub sector by way of establishing the number of aquaculture farms in Uganda, production levels, technologies used and the types of aquaculture systems in use.
Socio-economic data on aquaculture operators & their households will equally have to be collected as will be the case with data relating to the environmental impact deriving from aquaculture activities. The enumerators will have to visit all aquaculture farms in Uganda and Dr. Mukiza urges stakeholders to render them full support and cooperation.
As for the Labor Market Survey, the enumerators are already in the field doing data collection. The aim is to collect and provide statistical data regarding Uganda’s labor market dynamics in order to inform the relevant planning and effective policy formulation. The enumerators will specifically be collecting information on labor market trends, labor demands and labor market efficiency.
All these surveys are to be conducted countrywide and the local government leaders who Dr. Mukiza is imploring to do all they can to ensure that these all-important surveys are successfully conducted include the Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs), the Town Clerks, the Sub County/parish chiefs and the elected leaders like city mayors, district chairpersons and councilors plus the divisions, sub county, wards and village or cells chairpersons. This is applicable to leaders in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area districts and the rest of the country. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
