As the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) released preliminary results for the National Population and Housing Census 2024, President Yoweri Museveni has revealed how surprised he was when he learnt of the numbers the exercise conducted last month had returned.
UBOS Executive Director Dr Chris Mukiza revealed that the country had 45.9 million people. But the president expected more than that figure. Ahead of today’s dissemination of preliminary results from the census exercise, Dr Mukiza had brief the president about what to expect.
The briefing happened last week. On learning that the total population was below 46 million people, the president said he was surprised because he expected the figure to be at least two or three million more than was the exercise results have indicated.
“I was really surprised, I was thinking that the population would be about 48 or 49 million but when Mukiza came to brief me last week, he said it was below 46 million,” the president said at the event held at the Kampala Serena Hotel.
Although Dr Mukiza assured Museveni and Ugandans that the data collected was reliable, there are some Ugandans who have taken to social media to claim they were not enumerated. There is no concrete evidence to determine how many were not counted.
But one argument following the release of preliminary data is that that the number of those who were not enumerated could be significant enough and could have brought the figure up to what the president expected.
For now, the president has congratulated Dr Mukiza and UBOS for a job well done. “I congratulate the census body and Ugandans for listening to our advice and embracing our programs. You can see things are beginning to work out,” he said.
And although the final figure did not meet his expectations, Museveni said he was pleased because “this census is going to prove many things.” Importantly, the president has always wanted to prove to the world, especially the West, that his economic policies are working and have delivered the country into middle income status.
Recalling the disagreements that characterized previous discussions on Uganda’s middle income status, Museveni said that he had used the estimated population of 48 million people to compute the figures for the country’s suitability to join the middle income status class.
He went on to say that now the figure stands at 45.9 million, he “can see now that the other level of middle-income status is being confirmed by figures” and that Ugandans “have indeed entered the lower middle income status.”
The IMF has previously said that contrary to Museveni’s assertion that Uganda had attained the middle income status, the country could only achieve lower middle income status in 2034. (Read Story Here).
You can see the most populous cities in Uganda, according to Census 2024 results Here.
https://www.pearltimes.co.ug2024-census-results-see-number-of-people-per-sub-region-of-uganda-in-2024/
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