Enumerator loses census gadget, detained

By Conslata Taaka 

Police in Luwero District are holding one of the trained population census enumerators following reports that unknown people broke into the suspect's rented house and stole his census gadget.

The computer tablet was provided by the  Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) for the 2024/2025 census exercise.

The enumerator is a student at Bukalasa Agricultural College in Luwero and a resident of Wobulenzi Town Council.

The Luwero LC3 Chairperson, Richard Ssimbwa, said the suspect was supposed to count residents of Kikube Village in the same subcounty but that losing his gadget was an act of negligence.

The Luwero District Police Commander, John Ojokuna, has confirmed the arrest of the student, noting that the tablet is a government property and no one should joke with it.

"He claims that thieves broke into his  house and stole phones and tablets but the security of these tablets and other census materials, the liability fully is with the ones in possession," Ojokuna said.

"They are supposed to take care of these gadgets until the exercise is complete and so for that matter we decided to arrest the person who allegedly lost the gadget."

Ojokuna said investigations have started and their target is to recover the lost gadget.

He urged enumerators with security gaps after work to trust their nearest police stations with their gadgets for safety.

"If you see that you cannot keep the gadget with you at least take it to the nearest police for safety and then you sign it in the morning until the exercise is over," Ojokuna added.

Meanwhile, Luwero Resident District Commissioner Richard Bwabye Ntulume confirmed that the district is ready and organised to start the exercise but warned other enumerators to be vigilant and keep their gadgets intact.

He also affirmed that the arrest of the enumerator won't affect the process at Kikube Village because they have trained enough reserve enumerators to come in times like these.

"We have around 36 excesses of enumerators, the moment one gets a problem we shall just pick from our reserves and the exercise proceeds as planned," the RDC said.

The District Chairperson, Erasto Kibirango, called upon residents and leaders at different levels to join hands by giving necessary information during this process to ensure that the exercise is a success for effective future planning.

Luwero has trained 1,532 enumerators, 192 supervisors and over 36 excess enumerators for backup.

Tonight is census night and tomorrow, Friday, opens the doors nationally to the population census activities that will run for 10 days.

The government declared Friday a public holiday to facilitate the census.