Namayingo district ranks lowest in latrine coverage

Sep 19, 2016

During a regional dissemination workshop at the Jinja district council hall, it was revealed that some residents run to the bush to answer nature’s call while others use plastic buckets, a situation that compromises hygiene and sanitation standards.

Namayingo district has the lowest latrine coverage in Busoga sub region, according to statistics of the latest National Population and Housing Census carried out in 2014.

The district with a total population of 215,443, had at least 21.5% of the households without latrine, according to the Census 2014 final results released by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) on Friday.

During a regional dissemination workshop at the Jinja district council hall, it was revealed that some residents run to the bush to answer nature's call while others use plastic buckets, a situation that compromises hygiene and sanitation standards.

The district recently grappled with a Cholera outbreak that claimed a number of lives.

In Mayuge district, 11.8% households had no latrines, Bugiri 10.3%, Buyende 8.1%, Namutumba 7%, Kaliro 6%, Kamuli 5%, Luuka 4.5%, Iganga 4.1% and 2.2% for Jinja.

Namayingo, which was carved out of Bugiri district about five years ago and is located on the shores of Lake Victoria, also has low safe water coverage.

According to the UBOS report read by Rosette Navuga, 56.5% of residents have no access to safe water, followed by Mayuge at 29.6%, Bugiri 22.5%, Namutumba 16.6% and Buyende at 13.3%.

Mayuge district had the highest percentage of children (10-17 years) who had ever been married and those (12-17 years) who have ever given birth at 9.5% and 13.8% respectively.

It is closely followed by Namayingo at 8.9% and 13.1%, Buyende at 8.7% and 12.5%, Luuka at 7.0% and 11.2%, Bugiri at 7.2% and 8.9%, Namutumba 6.4% and 7.3%, Iganga 6.8% and 9.3%, Kamuli 6.1% and 8.9%, Kaliro 5.9% and 7.9% and Jinja 5.4% and 6.6%.

Illiteracy levels for persons aged between 18-30 years are highest in Buyende at 33.3%, followed by Namayingo 31.4%, Mayuge 27.5%, Bugiri 26.5%, Kaliro 26.5%, and Namutumba 25.4%.

"Buyende had the highest growth rate of 4.4% between 2002 and 2014 compared to 2.9% for Busoga region," Navuga said in the report.

"Jinja district had the highest percentage of households (10.7%) that take less than two meals a day. Jinja also has the highest proportion of youth (12.6%) who are not working and are not in school," she added.

It was also revealed that at 69%, Busoga has the highest malaria prevalence by region while school dropout rates were also high in certain communities.

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