As Uganda kicked off its nationwide census on Friday, the process was met with unexpected obstacles stemming from system malfunctions and recruitment challenges. The highly-anticipated census, conducted every decade, experienced difficulties when the Computer Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI) system failed to function as intended, causing delays and frustration among enumerators in Lira City and other regions.
Enumerators, tasked with gathering data using tablets, found themselves grappling with devices that either malfunctioned or lacked essential connectivity features. The absence of internet data further complicated matters, leaving enumerators without the necessary resources to complete their assignments.
Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) Executive Director Dr. Chris Mukiza attributed many of the glitches to the backdoor recruitment of enumerators at the local government level. It is estimated that over 20,000 enumerators were recruited outside the system, resulting in a system failure due to a lack of access rights to the UBOS online portal system.
The recruitment issue compounded the frustration among enumerators, as they had not yet received promised allowances to facilitate their transportation or to purchase data for their devices. One enumerator, Patrick Okwir Omara, expressed the disappointment felt by many of his peers, explaining that numerous tablets had lost crucial data entries necessary for initiating the enumeration process.
In response to these challenges, Dr. Mukiza has instructed District Census Officers to include the additional enumerators onto the UBOS online system. He has also assured the nation that all citizens will be counted by the end of the exercise on the 19th of May.
To conduct the nationwide census, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics has deployed 115,000 enumerators across the country. The census figures play a pivotal role in informing planning, policy formulation, and program implementation, ensuring alignment with the country’s national objectives. The previous census was conducted in 2014.
Despite the initial hurdles, the census continued in various parts of the country following the intervention of a technical team. As the enumeration effort progresses, the focus remains on overcoming these challenges and facilitating a successful and comprehensive census that will provide valuable insights for Uganda’s development in the coming years.