Govt ignoring research-agency
Dec 14, 2010
SEVERAL Government departments have slowed down development programmes by failing to use available data generated by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), the statistics body has said.
By Taddeo Bwambale
SEVERAL Government departments have slowed down development programmes by failing to use available data generated by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), the statistics body has said.
The deputy executive director of UBOS, Ben Paul Mungyereza, said some government institutions, especially ministries, have insisted on generating their own statistics, which he said were not accurate.
“Over the years we have been collecting a lot of data, but the ministries do not use it. Many of them don’t even know that it is available,†he said.
Addressing accounting officers and heads of departments from government ministries at Grand Imperial Hotel on Wednesday, Mungyereza said the statistics body had published a lot of data on key sectors including housing, energy, education and health, but said much of it was lying idle.
He observed that generally statistics was not appreciated in the country, yet it was a useful tool for planning.
He also noted that most sectors did not give priority to statistics. He also added that most departments were faced with inadequate funding and a shortage of skilled staff.
The head of public service and secretary to the cabinet, John Mitala, urged government agencies to publish simpler versions of statistical data to help the public make sense of it.
“Since statistics are not made only for the elite, there should be simpler versions for the wider public to appreciate and understand,†he said.
He urged government officials to desist from hurling insults at one another over conflicting data, and appealed to them to sort out their differences amicably.
He cited the recent HIV/AIDS report by the Uganda AIDS Commission which the ministry of health dismissed as inaccurate.
He also appealed to the institutions to uphold ethics, ensure credibility of data and use it towards attainment of national development.
SEVERAL Government departments have slowed down development programmes by failing to use available data generated by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), the statistics body has said.
The deputy executive director of UBOS, Ben Paul Mungyereza, said some government institutions, especially ministries, have insisted on generating their own statistics, which he said were not accurate.
“Over the years we have been collecting a lot of data, but the ministries do not use it. Many of them don’t even know that it is available,†he said.
Addressing accounting officers and heads of departments from government ministries at Grand Imperial Hotel on Wednesday, Mungyereza said the statistics body had published a lot of data on key sectors including housing, energy, education and health, but said much of it was lying idle.
He observed that generally statistics was not appreciated in the country, yet it was a useful tool for planning.
He also noted that most sectors did not give priority to statistics. He also added that most departments were faced with inadequate funding and a shortage of skilled staff.
The head of public service and secretary to the cabinet, John Mitala, urged government agencies to publish simpler versions of statistical data to help the public make sense of it.
“Since statistics are not made only for the elite, there should be simpler versions for the wider public to appreciate and understand,†he said.
He urged government officials to desist from hurling insults at one another over conflicting data, and appealed to them to sort out their differences amicably.
He cited the recent HIV/AIDS report by the Uganda AIDS Commission which the ministry of health dismissed as inaccurate.
He also appealed to the institutions to uphold ethics, ensure credibility of data and use it towards attainment of national development.