By Sadique Bamwita
IGANGA
Several enumerators who conducted the 2024 census in the sub-counties of Nabitende, Nawandala, Kidhago, Nambale and Namungalwe in Kigulu North Constituency, Iganga district, have threatened to stage a violent demonstration protesting the delayed payment of their enumeration allowances by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS).
The enumerators who gathered at Nabitende Sub County headquarters on Saturday 8th June, 2024 noted that they concluded the enumeration exercise on May 19, 2024 and were required to hand in all the enumeration gadgets to their respective sub-counties, something they complied with.
They allege that upon submitting the gadgets they were promised payment of their enumeration allowances within two weeks but till now they have never received their payments yet they submitted their telephone numbers registered in their respective names.
The disgruntled enumerators also accuse UBOS of alleged incompetence saying the census occurs after 10 years which is enough time to prepare for the next census but to their surprise they say the bureau behaves as if it was ambushed to conduct the 2024 census yet in actually sense parliament appropriated over Shs.300 billion to do the job.
“We strongly condemn the management of UBOS for sleeping on their job. During the training, we were promised an umbrella, gumboots and a bag for each of the enumerators but never received any of these apart from reflectors labeled census 2024. Uganda is swimming in a sea of unscrupulous and exploitative persons. It’s high time the president swings the axe to axe the top management of UBOS and immediately replace it with competent and patriotic staff, “angry enumerators expressed their anger.
The angry enumerators revealed that they were not given any facilitation during enumeration exercise and worked on empty stomachs and that sometimes they could be offered lunch and breakfast tea by good Samaritans who felt sorry for the alleged harsh working conditions in which they operated.
However, when contacted the Public relations officer (PRO) for Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), Mrs. Nancy Agnes Anyango, she appealed to the enumerators to be patient and that the bureau has requested all chief Administrative officers to submit the final documents with all the names of enumerators and their supervisors on which the bureau will base on to pay them. She however, revealed that some organized districts that submitted all the required documents for their enumerators and supervisors have already received payments.
“The bureau sent a document to all district authorities requesting them to submit to the bureau the necessary documents required to effect payment for enumerators and their supervisors. This shows our determination to pay whoever was involved in the enumeration exercise. So before enumerators think of protesting, they should ask their district officials if they have sent all the documents to UBOS for payment. No one at UBOS is planning to cheat them; they should just be a little bit patient as we wait for their district officials to submit the required documents to UBOS, “Mrs. Nancy Anyango assured enumerators and their supervisors.
Mrs. Nancy Anyango condemned district officials for the delayed submission of the required documents to UBOS yet the patriotic enumerators did their work wholeheartedly.
