Rwenzururu, Tooro leaders commit support for census
The Executive Director of the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), Chris Mukiza, has held a major meeting with cultural leaders from Tooro and Rwenzururu to nail down their support ahead of the forthcoming national census.
Mr Mukiza on Tuesday met with King Charles Mumbere of the Rwenzururu Kingdom to discuss the census and establish cooperation.
Mumbere expressed his support for the initiative, stating, “We are going to speak to our communities and encourage them to be counted because it is very important for the government to know how many we are in our communities.”
“Every country must know the number of people that are in that country, and they can plan for them better. I assure you that the cultural institution is brilliant and is cooperating with the government so well."
Uganda is set to conduct the National Population and housing Census 2024 with the reference night being 9th May 2024. The sixth naitonal census will be done in 10 days starting on May 9 to 19.
In keeping with UBOS's efforts to include cultural leaders in the process, Mumbere was named the Census Commissioner for his realm.
UBOS executive director Chris Mukiza (right) during the meeting with officials from Tooro
“Your Majesty, I am so happy that you have allowed us to count you on the first day of the census,” said Mukiza, adding that this will end the myth that when you count people, especially children, they will die.
“The Census data will help the King to know the people he has in his kingdom and how to plan for them,” he said.
“This information will help you to know the people you have in your kingdom, where they live, how they live, what they own, and how you can distribute resources to them."
During a courtesy call on King Oyo, the Prime Minister of Toro Kingdom, Frankstone Kiyinji, highlighted several pressing issues affecting the region, including child stunting, high HIV infection rates, and school dropouts, particularly among girls.
“Tooro suffers from a crippling case of child stunting. I think we might be the biggest, the district with the biggest stunting in the country,” he said.
