The 2024 census data was unrealistic and manipulated, FDC tells Ubos

The opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has rejected the recently released report on the 2024 National Population and Housing Census and called for a repeat of the entire exercise.

The party’s deputy publicity secretary, Mr Warid Lubega Mulindwa, said the report released on Thursday last week by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos) was inaccurate as it contained contradictory population figures, making it difficult to rely on.

“We are concerned about the accuracy of the 2024 Uganda National Housing and Population Census report. We believe the statistics are unrealistic and manipulated,” Mulindwa said.

The 2024 report incorrectly showed that Acholi’s population declined from 2,131,443 in 2014 to 1,941,913, while it showed that Bagisu’s population declined from 2,390,975 to 2,096,149 in 2024.

However, the bureau later corrected the error and noted that the population of Bagisu was 1,647,382 and Acholi was 1,470,884 in the 2014 Population and Housing Census.

The 2024 report also pointed out incorrect numbers for Bakiga and Langi in 2014: 1,470,884 for Bakiga and 1,647,382 for Langi instead of 2,390,975 for Bakiga and 2,131,443 for Langi.

The current population of the Bakiga is 2,947,837 and the Langi is 2,703,277.

The irregularities sparked public debate on social media, radio and television platforms and raised doubts about the accuracy of the report.

“This is a very serious matter as census data is crucial in informing policy decisions, development planning and resource allocation in Uganda,” Mr Mulindwa said while addressing journalists at the party headquarters in Kampala yesterday.

He said the census statistics must be accurate as the National Planning Authority (NPA) relies heavily on them in its planning decisions for the country as the census provides important data on population size, distribution and characteristics essential for effective planning .

Mr Mulindwa also said the Electoral Commission (EC) also relies on population data from the national census to make important decisions, including on adjusting electoral boundaries, demarcating polling stations and updating voter rolls to reflect changes in population distribution to reflect.

Mr Mulindwa said to address these concerns, it was important to review census methodology, data collection processes and quality control measures.

The FDC also engaged Ubos to provide clear explanations and evidence to support the accuracy of the report.

“The exercise was marred by various deficiencies. Many people were not counted because the census data had not built sufficient capacity, which had a significant impact on the accuracy and reliability of the census data. The census takers did not understand the census data, methodology, questionnaires, and data collection procedures. They did not know how to operate the tabs (computers) on which they were supposed to record the information they answered, but there was no manual system for sharing information,” Mr Mulindwa pointed out.

However, Mr. Chris Mukiza, the Managing Director of Ubos, responded to the heated debate over his

“The 2014 census population figures for Bakiga and Bagisu, Langi and Acholi were incorrectly reversed at the time of going to press. So each tribe has experienced growth in the last decade,” Mr Mukiza said.