Ubos shrugs off attacks, vows to deliver census 

The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos) has hit back at its former errant staff who were fired over acts of gross misconduct for waging a mudslinging campaign against the institution and its leadership.

This came after some online media reports alleged that some former Ubos staff leaked information that the contracts of the Ubos executive director and the board of directors had expired at the end of the 2022/2023 financial year. The allegation insinuated that Ubos board and the executive director are in office illegally.

The same former errant staff further alleged that they wrote to the board chairman Dr Albert Byamugisha in 2021 raising queries over money that was deposited on the accounts of Ubos staff.

However, in a statement released on June 11, Dr Chris Mukiza, the Ubos executive director, says that these issues were addressed by reputable offices and were brought to logical conclusions. He further noted that these are ‘old’ stories that were already concluded but are now being recycled to achieve the evil goals and intentions of the dismissed staff.

“The errant staff, having been dismissed, have brought to the fore their ineptness to the public that the bureau leadership had detected long before they were dismissed. The executive director assures the public that Ubos board, management, and staff are strong and steadfast towards strengthening statistical development, production and dissemination as well as promoting good governance as the national statistics office,” says Mukiza.

Recently, the Ubos board dismissed Henry Dhikusooka, a former principal officer in the department of risk management and John Mayende, formerly head of department of outreach and quality assurance for serious cases of indiscipline, spreading malicious and false information, insubordination, and subversive tendencies.

These developments have come at a time when Ubos is conducting pre-census activities but Mukiza says the attacks by former errant staff would not stop the bureau from delivering the national census on time.

“The bureau continues with its preparation to conduct the forthcoming National Population and Housing Census. In so doing, Ubos has already established the census structure from national to village level, developed the census questionnaire, pre-tested the questionnaire, completed census mapping in 40 districts and now collecting data in other 40 districts and conducting sensitization of the census programme, among others. In addition, the bureau continues to support pillar six of the Parish Development Model (PDM) with data collection at household and community levels.