Enumerators in different parts of the country have boycotted the census exercise, citing poor working conditions contrary to what was stipulated by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics.

The poor working conditions include issues with payment fees, uniforms, appointment letters, internet connectivity, and malfunctioning tablets.

According to enumerators, the tablets assigned to them were not connected to the UBOS servers, hindering data collection.

In an interview with a Nexus Media reporter, John Matata, an enumerator assigned to Nsasa, Kira Ward, Kira Municipality, said that although they were promised UGX 180,000 as training facilitation, they have not received any payment.

“It is authoritative for census authorities to address the enumerators’ grievances promptly and find a resolution to ensure the smooth conduct of the census and the integrity of the data collected,” Matata said.

In response to the boycott, census officials promised to address the enumerators’ concerns and have initiated discussions to find a mutually acceptable solution.

The National Population and Housing Census 2024 commenced on May 9, 2024, and it will be done in 10 days.

It is held every 10 years, with the last exercise being conducted in August 2014.