Uganda Bureau of Statistics [UBOS] in partnership with the Ministry of ICT & National Guidance are carrying out the much sought-after baseline data collection to inform the government’s implementation of the Parish Development Model [PDM].
Parish Chiefs, who are the major supervisors of PDM activities in their localities collecting the data, supported by the local staff appointed by respective local governments.
Uganda has 135 district local governments and 10 cities.
PML Daily spent a day with Ms. Gloria Animbabazi, the Parish Chief Kitagatta Parish as she collected data from Nyakatoma Village in Bushenyi District.
During the data collection process, households members responded to questions related to the name of the household head, marital status, nationality, religion, NIN, telephone number, household member relationships, residential status of household members, age, date of birth, education, disability, work, economic activity.
Households also responded to a question related to government benefiting from programmes like; Operation Wealth Creation, Youth Livelihood Programme, Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme, NAADS, and Emyooga.
Under the data collection process, government also sought to know whether household heads were registered with any SACCO or credit institution or owns a mobile phone, TV set, radio sets, solar panel, motorcycle, or vehicle.
Government in 2020 pledged to deliver radios to households.
Other questions to the household focused on internet usage, insurance policy, household agriculture business, home-based shop, bar or restaurant, source of water for drinking, a common source of energy for lighting, toilet facility, shoes, and crop growing.
Meanwhile, village leaders [LCIs] responded to questions related to availability of services like; Money lenders, mobile money agents, banking agents, commercial banks, SACCOs, cooperatives, Village Savings and Loan Associations.
The LCIs responded to questions on agricultural produce, livestock, general merchandise, tourism, type of roads.
Erias Bingana the LC1 Nyakatoma was specifically asked if his area has hospitals, health centres II, III and IV, clinics, pharmacy, and drug shops.
Questions on education saw Bingana asked whether his areas had a government primary school, government secondary school, Business Technical Institution, Education training, and university.
For agriculture, Animbabazi asked the lower council leaders whether they have activities such as; agro-processing, grain milling, leather tanning, milk coolers, threshing/shelling/ rice hauling, fruit processing, animal feeds mixtures, tourist/ culture site and post office.
The leaders told Animbabazi the source of water for agricultural production exists in their communities, as well as any disasters that have happened in their areas in the last 12 months and the form of violence that has happened in their areas in the last 12 months.
Mr. Dickson Bamusiima, Bushenyi District Local Government Planner and PDM focal person said the process had reached final stages but said they were failing to meet targets—citing limited time provided by government.
He said the ongoing data collection exercise was necessary to improve the understanding of the different and unique characteristics of households across the country and hence provide the basis for the delivery of targeted interventions.
UBOS officials have for last two weeks been overseeing the collection of PDM Baseline data
in all the 15 Statistical sub-regions including Kigezi, Teso , Rwenzori, Ankole, Bunyoro, West Nile, Buganda North and Buganda South.
Other regions include Kampala, Busoga, Acholi, Lango, Bukedi, Elgon and Karamoja.
Ms. Monica Mpirirwe Rutahanda, a UBOS senior statistician who supervised the PDM Baseline data collection exercise in Ankole sub region said the exercise was crucial—noting that it’s the backbone of the Parish Development Model.
Rutahanda urged data collectors to ensure quality of data to information government’s proper planning.
According to the Uganda National Household Survey Report 2019/20, of the 3.5 million households in the subsistence economy, 62 percent were engaged mainly in subsistence agriculture, 24 percent were in income-generating activities, 12 percent were earning a wage/salary and two percent were not working at all.
Acholi sub-region had the largest share of households under the subsistence economy (78 percent).
The largest share of households contributing to the subsistence economy were those engaged in subsistence farming [45 percent].
Under the PDM, each parish is expected to receive Shs100 million per year for five years for groups to borrow and invest. Government in the financial year 2021/22 provided Shs 200 bln, targeting every parish to receive Shs 17mln as a revolving fund for members of the village SACCO.
President Yoweri Museveni launched the PDM in February 2022, in Kibuku district where he said: “During the recently concluded elections, we promised you that the 2021-2066 term is going to be a ‘Kisanja’ [term] for creating wealth, jobs and incomes for all Ugandans.”
Museveni said then that he wanted everyone to be engaged in economic activities in order to eliminate poverty and enable the country to achieve middle-income status.
