The Executive Director and Chief Statistician of the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, Dr. Chris Mukiza, has praised President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for creating what he described as a conducive environment for quality data production and statistical independence in Uganda.
Mukiza said the President’s leadership had strengthened the country’s statistical systems and enabled smooth operations through government funding and institutional support.
“His visionary leadership and stewardship have not only strengthened statistical independence but also facilitated smooth statistical operations through the provision of adequate resources,” Mukiza said while hosting a delegation from the Central Statistics Office of Eswatini Kingdom during a week-long benchmarking exercise in Uganda ahead of Eswatini’s National Population and Housing Census 2027.
He said Uganda had over the years built a strong statistical infrastructure and enhanced human resource capacity, citing the recently concluded National Population and Housing Census 2024 as an example.
According to Mukiza, the census was funded up to 98% by the Government of Uganda, with development partners contributing only 2%.
Mukiza also advised the Eswatini delegation to establish clear census structures to support a comprehensive enumeration process “where every citizen is counted and no one is left behind.”
Using Uganda’s framework as an example, he said the apex census body was the National Census Council chaired by the Prime Minister.
Beyond statistics, Mukiza highlighted Uganda’s tourism potential, pointing to attractions such as mountain gorillas, waterfalls, game parks and volcanic mountains.
The five-member delegation from Eswatini was led by Dlamini Marilyn Phumlile, who thanked UBOS management for the knowledge shared during the five-day exercise.
Phumlile said Uganda’s preparations for Census 2024 offered valuable lessons for Eswatini ahead of its own census in 2027.
She cited the establishment of a situation room for 24-hour monitoring of census data collection coverage, as well as the use of a census dashboard, e-recruitment and e-payment systems, publicity campaigns and overall census management processes, as innovations worth emulating.
“We have acquired valuable knowledge and experience during this benchmarking exercise,” she said, while also requesting continued technical support from Uganda ahead of Eswatini’s census exercise.
UBOS said it was confident the delegation had gained adequate information to support the successful implementation of Eswatini’s National Population and Housing Census 2027.
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