Counting Persons with Disabilities in the National Census

Uganda Bureau of Statistics organised a breakfast meeting with civil society organisations, local government and the public sector to go over the upcoming Uganda National Household Census running from 10th May – 19th May 2024. The meeting expressed the expectation that civil society especially organisations and representatives of persons with disabilities rally their constituents in the public to ensure that they participate in the exercise and are counted. 

In its 6th year post independence, the census is to enable the Uganda Bureau of Statistics know the overal nature of the population either it is in infancy or retirement age and, the country to take stock of who, what, where and how to enhance planning and service provision. 

An update from the National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda highlighted the success of preparatory meetings with Uganda Bureau of Statistics especially in disability rights advocacy. ‘Most disability categories have been reflected in the enumeration tool’, shared Mr. Nangosi David, a representative from National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda. ‘I request all of us to use our different networks to mobilise persons with disabilities to be counted. This will enable us to scale up our advocacy for disability inclusion and the data will be a point of reference for targeted census of persons with disabilities,’ he said. 

We call upon district unions and associations of persons with disabilities to work hand in hand with the local councillors and enumerators to ensure that persons with disabilities are counted in the census.