At least 42 villages in Kasese district did not receive any national housing and population census enumeration applicants, raising concerns that thousands of residents may miss out unless urgent measures are taken.

Confirming the gap, the district planner, Joseph Singoma, said the "most affected are the high mountainous rural and in the lowland lake region areas.”

Singoma said 2,033 enumerators and 215 supervisors are expected to participate in the exercise both at village and parish levels in the census slated for May 10.

Directive

He, however, revealed that the district census committee had directed LC1 chairpersons in the respective villages to get suitable indigenous children to enumerate in the census. 

Kasese district chairperson, Erifaz Muhindi Bukombi, disclosed that the district security committee had received reports that some individuals, including some LC1s, were planning to sabotage the government programme

“Preliminary reports say some ethnic groups were saying they didn’t want enumerators from outside their communities. They risk being arrested and prosecuted if the sabotage is confirmed,” Muhindi warned.

Muhindi, who warned enumerators against taking bribes during the census exercise, said the government had digitalised the enumeration process and the payment of the enumerators and supervisors.

“Money will be paid directly to the enumerators after the exercise and not through the district system,” Muhindi clarified.

Urging the public to embrace the census exercise to guide the government in planning, policy formulation and programme implementation, monitoring development progress in line with National goals and objectives for improved service delivery. 

According to the 2014 census, the population of Kasese district was 694,987, which was about 2% of the total national population.

The annual growth rate was 2.45% between 2002 and 2014, down from 3.6% between 1991 and 2002.

Current projections put the population at about one million.