Minister of State in charge of Planning, Amos Lugoloobi has reassured the public that the final National Census report will be officially released by December 2024.
Addressing concerns raised by members of Parliament, Lugoloobi emphasized that the current census data being utilized is only provisional and should not be treated as the final tally.
“In December 2024, we will present the final National Census report. The data we have now is provisional,” Lugoloobi confirmed.
The announcement came in response to questions regarding the accuracy and completeness of the preliminary figures that have so far been made available. Members of Parliament expressed concerns that some regions may have been undercounted and sought clarity on the timeline for the full report.
Minister Lugoloobi clarified that while the provisional figures provide a useful snapshot of the country’s demographic trends, they should not be viewed as conclusive.
Speaker Anita Among directed the government to provide Parliament with the full 2024 Census report, following public criticism regarding discrepancies in the provisional census data. She emphasized that Parliament needs to thoroughly review the official report to address the discrepancies highlighted by various stakeholders.
Although Amos Lugoloobi attempted to present a statement explaining the inconsistencies, the MPs raised concerns about whether a statement would sufficiently clarify the issues, instead calling for the full census report.
“First of all, we need to know the source of this document,” Speaker Among remarked. “The minister must have a report from which he is quoting these figures. We need an authentic document. This partial statement is not enough.”
Jonathan Odur (Erute South) opposed the Ministry of Finance’s plan to table a statement, arguing that the initial census report had been withdrawn following public allegations of data manipulation and inaccuracy.
“When you consider the legal framework guiding the census, it requires a thorough interrogation of 36 parameters. What we’ve seen so far indicates the census was conducted poorly, with claims of manipulated and cooked data. Many households were never even approached by the enumerators, and the provisional report has since been recalled,” Odur stated.
He further argued, “There is no foundation for Parliament to consider such a statement when what is needed is the official census report, not a mere explanation from the minister.”
In a statement released yesterday by the Uganda Bureau of statistics (UBOS), revealed that on Thursday October 3, 2024, the Provisional Report was disseminated and it provided more detailed statistical data and information on population, distribution and several socio-economic indicators.
UBOS noted that the figures for Census 2014 as published in March 2016 were correct. In addition, the data integrity of the Census 2024 is robust and of high quality. However, the Provisional Report published on October 3, 2024 misreported the tribes of Acholi, Bagisu, Bakiga and Lango for Census 2014 figures, which occurred during comparison of the tribal figures for 2014 and 2024.
“This has been corrected in accordance with the United Nations Fundamental Principles of official statistics with being Bakiga being 2,947,837, Lango2, 703,277, Bagisu 2,096,149, Acholi 1,941,913,” UBoS revealed.
UBOS added, “The Bureau would like to further clarify that all religions registered an increase in their followers between the two Censuses. Although all religions had a growth in their followers, some religions had a reduction in the share when compared to the total population.”
In compliance with the internally accepted practices and the approved Census Roadmap, the Bureau instituted an independent team of experts to conduct the Post Enumeration Survey 2024 to validate the scope and content of the National Population and Housing Census 2024. The findings from the Post Enumeration Survey will provide insights into the adequacy of the Census 2024.
“The Final Report containing comprehensive statistical data and information from the Census will be published in December 2024,” UBOS confirmed.
