Census start reveals hope amid glitches

Uganda’s 11th official National Housing and Population Census got underway last night, with Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos), the lead agency, optimistic that it will yield accurate data to inform future planning, resource allocation, and service provision.

The first full enumeration in the country was held by the British colonial administration in 1911, where the population was established at 2.5 million, although there had been estimated figures of 2 million and 2.5 million for 1900 and 1901, respectively.

Other censuses, according to official records, were conducted in 1921, 1931, 1948, 1958, 1969, 1980, 1991, 2002 and 2014, making the ongoing one the 11th.

Ugandans number 36.6 million by the last count, and government officials including President Museveni have variously estimated the country’s population at between 45  and 46 million.

For the first time, the government is virtually single-handedly bankrolling the exercise, costing Shs333b and lasting 10 days. Roughly 119,000 enumerators and 18,000 parish and sub-county supervisors swore in across the country yesterday to conduct the count with integrity and confidentiality.

The government has declared today a public holiday to ensure working Ugandans and foreigners – the latter are being counted – stay home to participate in the exercise.  Officials clarified that not everyone will be counted on Day One, which is today, calling on the population to be flexible for enumeration on any of the remaining nine days.

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Only individuals who spent last night in Uganda will be counted, whether refugees or other foreign nationals.

Ugandans who were out of the country last night – also called the Census Night – will not be counted even if they return today or when the enumeration will still be underway.

Any person who died in the country last night will be counted posthumously, Ubos announced early in the week.

However, a child born today, or on any of the designated census days, will not be counted as they would not have been present in the country on Census Night.

Ubos charged the enumerators to start the census after midnight last night by counting street children and motorists and passengers in transit or those at transport terminals, collectively christened as the “floating population”.

The statistics body last evening said single mothers and fathers will be the ones to provide information on the fathers of their children amid concerns asking a married man or woman whether they have children outside wedlock, if previously undisclosed, could spark domestic conflict or elicit dishonest responses.

However, hours before the census exercise got underway, complaints and threats by enumerators and supervisors to abandon the exercise over pay disagreement and lack of computer tablets filled swearing-in halls across the country.

Frontline officials reported fewer gadgets than the total number of hired enumerators, despite Ubos assuring that it procured and supplied slightly over 120,000 devices to the 19,000 enumerators and their 18,000 supervisors. Some of the tablets were non-function or missing in the packs amid reports some district officials had retained others.

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Power issues

With concerns the batteries of the gadgets could run out in the course of the exercise, stakeholders were by press time unsure how the machines would be recharged in areas without electricity as many enumerators have no power banks.

Some enumerators said they were not provided gumboots, umbrellas or raincoats yet downpour currently pounding different parts of the country could likely disrupt the exercise.

Despite the cracks, Ubos officials reaffirmed their readiness for the exercise, giving assurances that all that is required for the census has been provided. 

A countrywide survey by this newspaper showed otherwise. 

For instance, some of the presumed new tablets were found defective while several enumerators had not been fully credentialed and, as such, could not login onto the platform to acclimatise with using the gadgets.

Sign language interpreters were also lacking for those respondents with hearing impairments while the quantity of chalk provided to mark counted households were found inadequate.

Enumerators said they had not received allowances for the nine days of training and neither had they been given census funds, meaning they have use their own money to run start of the exercise.

Mr Ronnie Rubanga-Ken, the district census officer for Kampala Central, said each enumerator and supervisor is entitled to a fee of Shs30,000 per day for the nine days of training and additional payment of Shs50,000, Shs60,000 and Shs65,000 per day worked for enumerator, parish supervisor and sub-county supervisor, respectively. 

However, enumerators interviewed for this article, who asked not to be named for fear of victimisation, said they were informed that their allowance had been reduced from Shs30, 000 to Shs10,000 because Shs20,000 was allocated for their lunch during training.

An enumerator at Bat Valley Primary School, who identified himself as Bumba Mu-ammaru, expressed frustration.

“We are delivering services to the government, but the people we are serving are not valuing us. I have invested my time and transport, and all they can tell me is that I have to pay for the food I have been eating. This is not fair,” said Mu-ammaru.

Another enumerator, Mr Johnson Mangeni, decried poor communication about facilitation.

“They said we should carry our food when going to the field. Already we are in debt. How are we going to manage?” he questioned.

Political leaders in Kampala’s eastern Nakawa Division yesterday scrambled to talk about 2,000 enumerators out of their plans to abandon the census on the eve of its start. 

Nakawa East Member of Parliament Ronald Balimwezo,  Mayor Paul Mugambe, Resident City Commissioner Sheikh Kasim Kamugisha, the ruling National Resistance Movement party’s chairman there, Mr Nicholas Arinaitwe alongside the District Internal Security Officer, Mr Moses Tashobya, struggled but eventually calmed the rowdy youth.  

Mr Obed Lutakome, a the Ward census officer, said they made a last-minute request for an additional 100 enumerators after discovering that the 1,800 deployed left some areas in Nakawa Division uncovered.

At St Paul’s Nsambya Primary, a supervisor said only 98 computer tablets were availed for 152 enumerators, with a second line of confusion being 500 candidates having been trained for only 152 positions.  As a stop-gap measure, some were re-designated and deployed as field guides, the position designated for Local Council leaders, who know and are known to residents, and are to accompany enumerators to every household.

Kibuye II with 52 enumerators got 10 tablets and another packaging for 10 tablets was found empty. It was unclear if these had been stolen or a factory or courier-related loss. 

Mr Robert Byaruhanga said he applied as parish supervisor but was surprised to be informed by his would-be supervisor that he would be a guide despite Ubos recruiting him as an enumerator.

“They gave a lame excuse that I would not manage the speed [of work as supervisor or enumerator,” Mr Byaruhanga said.

Hundreds of enumerators did not receive Identification cards, reflector jackets or appointment letters. 

Those issued letters found their particulars missing and positions and payment figures altered.  

Ubos Spokesman Didacus Okoth questioned veracity of some of the reported anomalies and said designating non-LC officials as field guides contravenes Ubos census guidelines.

“The Local Council leadership should provide guidance to the enumerators from household to household because they know all the households within their community,” he said.

Mr Okoth said he was unaware about some of the complaints, including that a box dispatched to Kibuye II presumably with 10 tablets was found empty.

Things appeared less problematic in the city’s Rubaga Division where by midday, Ubos technical staff were found handing out to enumerators and supervisors the essential – appointment letters, tablets, chalks in red and white colours, a bag, name tags, and power banks.  A number of the recipients, however, said they were yet to get their allowances, airtime and data.

“Each tablet came with a SIM card. Those using Airtel received about 2,000 GBs, and airtime worth Shs20,000 for the entire process,” one enumerator said, asking not to be named. “For those [on other networks], we have not received anything, yet the exercise is starting [today].”

A one Jennifer Nabawesa informed a Ubos supervisor at Rubaga Division headquarters that the tablet she received a couple of days ago from the statistics agency freezes intermittently.  Other colleagues, she said, returned the gadgets after noticing the functional glitches, but they had not got them back.

Ms Nabawesa added: “We received the gadget late, two days before the end of the training. We have not received identification cards, and during the training, they promised to give us reflector jackets well labelled with Ubos, but we are still waiting.”

Affected enumerators and supervisors in both Kampala and upcountry said Ubos asked those who missed on tablets, or whose tablets malfunctioned during training, to instead use their mobile phone handsets to enter data while in the field.

The announcements sparked concerns with most hired enumerators and supervisors saying their smart phones are not robust enough to manage heavy downloads or run the programme for the census flawlessly.

Mr Okoth gave assurances that the concerns on money and logistics would be addressed as the exercise progresses.

“I do not have a clear response on their allowances, but this concern is being addressed by responsible offices,” he said.

Mr Okoth further said tablets deployed with officers on other field assignments were being recalled for reallocation to enumerators. Technocrats, he said, would fix missing airtime and data before the final day of the census.

“The issue of chalk getting finished [isn’t a problem because] we have people doing supervisory roles up to the village level and these will give us information in case of an emergency,” Mr Okoth said.

ARE YOU READY FOR THE CENSUS?

Alfred Okumu, Enumerator.

We incurred transport costs from the villages and they (Ubos) told us they would refund the money, which has not happened even after the training.

Ainsley Buma,Enumerator.

I have been trained optimally but the way these things usually work in the classroom is different from what you encounter in the community. 

Loryne Kyalisiima, Enumerator.

I have the questions that I am supposed to ask the households. I have also been taught to relate and behave in the community.  I have been taught how to use the tablet.

Bosco Ouma, Enumerator.

During the training, we were promised a training allowance of Shs30,000 for each of the nine days we trained but it has been reduced to Shs10,000 today.

Auleria Nyiramugisha, Enumerator.

I am well equipped and ready although it is my first time. I have previously worked as an administrative assistant. This isn’t a normal job and it will build my CV.

Asiina Muduwa, Supervisor

I have learnt a lot during the training, this is my first time conducting the exercise. I am optimistic that I will deliver because I am very committed to it.

Compiled by Damali Mukhaye, Karim Muyobo, Sylvia Katushabe & Stephen Otage