Uganda Launches Delayed National Census

The Ugandan government on Thursday began conducting a long-delayed national census – the first in 12 years.



Justine Naluyima, one of over 80,000 census enumerators deployed countrywide, hit the streets on the first day of the ten-day exercise in Bunga, a suburb of capital Kampala.



She introduced herself to one family before opening her large book and beginning the 40-minute question session.



"The information you give me will be confidential," she reassured them.



The census is designed to collect a wide range of personal and household information, including demographic and social factors.



The family was asked about their residence and migration histories, parental survival and disability status.



They were also asked about their education, field of specialization, economic activity, fertility and child mortality.



"It's easier to carry out the census in gated homes," Naluyima told Anadolu Agency. "Residents give you enough time with no interruptions and answer the questions."



She is expected to collect information on housing conditions; household assets and amenities; distance to social service facilities; household-based agricultural activities; and recent deaths in the household.



She complained, however, that conducting the exercise in slum areas was not easy.



"People wonder why the government has to know whether they have salt or sugar, how many pairs of shoes they have, and whether they bathe," she said.



"Most times, they ask these questions at the top of their voices for all the neighbors to hear, which makes us uneasy," the enumerator added.



Rosemary Kisakye, senior communications officer for the Ugandan Statistics Bureau, insisted that census-takers everywhere in the world sought information on welfare indicators.



"The idea is to know the level of income," she told AA. "If any interventions are to be made, where does government and donors start from?"



Amina Magezi, who was interviewed by Naluyima, believes the census will help the government plan for such necessary interventions.



"They will know how we live and what we are going through – that's where they will use to help us," she told AA.



Uganda's national census was initially slated for August 2012, before being postponed to August 2013 – due to a lack of funding – and later to August 2014.



By Halima Athumani



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Kampala