The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) has accused the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance of undermining its statutory mandate following the launch of the National Data Strategy 2026/27 to 2030/31, setting up a dispute over who should coordinate the country’s data management systems.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, UBOS Executive Director and Chief Statistician Chris Mukiza said the strategy duplicates existing statistical frameworks and introduces responsibilities that the bureau argues are already covered by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics Act, 1998.
Mukiza questioned the legality and relevance of the initiative, arguing that the ministry should not establish a parallel framework for responsibilities that Parliament has already assigned to UBOS.
“The launch of that ‘National Data Strategy’ is an existential threat to the UBOS Act and is, therefore, illegal, irregular, redundant and adds no value to the National Statistical System,” Mukiza said.
UBOS maintains that the 1998 law gives it the central responsibility for coordinating, monitoring and supervising the National Statistical System, including ensuring that official statistics produced by government institutions meet established standards.
The bureau argues that the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, led by Minister of ICT and National Guidance Kasule Lumumba, has no legal mandate to spearhead matters incidental to official statistics in a manner that duplicates UBOS’s responsibilities.
The dispute follows the government’s newly launched National Data Strategy, which seeks to improve how data is collected, managed, shared, protected and used by public institutions and other stakeholders to support planning, service delivery and economic development.
The strategy proposes a coordinated national framework to address fragmented data systems, inconsistent standards and limited information sharing among ministries, departments and agencies. Its proposed implementation structures include a National Data Steering Committee, a National Data Office and technical committees operating under the ICT ministry.
However, UBOS says the proposed arrangements risk creating parallel institutional structures instead of strengthening systems already established under existing laws and policies.
The bureau points to the Plan for National Statistics Development, its strategic plan and the Data Quality Assessment Framework as existing instruments that guide statistical production, coordination and quality assurance across the National Statistical System.
Under the Uganda Bureau of Statistics Act, UBOS is mandated to provide high-quality central statistics, promote standardisation in the collection and publication of statistical information, review data collection initiatives by national and local governments, and maintain a central repository of statistical reports and publications.
The bureau’s objection therefore goes beyond the introduction of a new government policy, raising questions about whether the proposed strategy could alter institutional responsibilities without changes to the law governing official statistics.
At the centre of the disagreement is the distinction between official statistics and the wider management of data. While UBOS is responsible for coordinating the production and quality of official statistics, the ICT ministry’s strategy seeks a broader framework for governing and sharing data generated across government and other sectors.
The strategy identifies UBOS as a key institution in improving data quality and assigns it responsibilities alongside the ICT ministry and other government agencies in areas such as standardisation and the quality of datasets.
That overlap appears to be a major point of contention, with UBOS arguing that the proposed framework risks duplicating work already covered by its statutory responsibilities and existing institutional arrangements.
The ministry’s approach, however, is built around the need for government to manage data as a national resource that can support evidence-based policymaking, improve public services and facilitate economic growth.
A coordinated data system can help public institutions share information more efficiently, reduce duplication and make better use of information in planning and monitoring government programmes. Such a framework also requires clear rules on institutional accountability, data quality, privacy, security and access to information.
The disagreement places the government under pressure to clarify how the proposed strategy will operate alongside the legal framework governing UBOS and how the responsibilities of the two institutions will be separated in practice.
Mukiza urged the public to treat the strategy with the contempt he said it deserved, maintaining that it was unnecessary and offered no additional value to the National Statistical System.
Despite the strong language used by UBOS, the bureau’s statement does not itself constitute a court ruling invalidating the strategy. The legal question is whether the proposed arrangements fall within the ICT ministry’s authority and can be implemented without conflicting with the UBOS Act.
The dispute also raises questions about whether the government will revise the strategy, clarify the respective mandates of the two institutions, or establish a mechanism for resolving the disagreement before implementation proceeds.
UBOS committed to producing high-quality central statistics to support national planning, policy formulation, and evidence-based decision-making, insisting that the country’s statistical system must operate within the law.
