At least 42 villages in Kasese district have not been reached by national housing and population census enumerators, sparking worries that thousands of residents might be overlooked unless immediate action is taken.
Joseph Singoma, the district planner, confirmed this gap, particularly noting the challenge in high mountainous rural areas and lowland lake regions.
For the census scheduled on May 10, a total of 2,033 enumerators and 215 supervisors are expected to participate at the village and parish levels.
To address the shortfall, the district census committee has instructed LC1 chairpersons in the affected villages to recruit suitable local children for enumeration in the census.
Erifaz Muhindi Bukombi, the Kasese district chairperson, revealed that the district security committee had received reports of potential sabotage from certain individuals, including some LC1 officials.
Preliminary reports suggest that certain ethnic groups voiced opposition to enumerators from outside their communities. Muhindi cautioned that those involved in such sabotage risked arrest and prosecution.
Furthermore, Muhindi warned enumerators against accepting bribes during the census, emphasizing that the government had digitized the enumeration process and payment system.
Enumerators and supervisors will receive their payments directly after the exercise, bypassing the district administration.
Encouraging public participation, Muhindi stressed the importance of the census in guiding government planning, policy formulation, program implementation, and monitoring development progress.
According to the 2014 census data, Kasese district’s population was recorded at 694,987, constituting approximately 2% of the national population. The annual growth rate between 2002 and 2014 was 2.45%, a decline from 3.6% in the preceding decade. Current projections estimate the district’s population at around one million.
