KAMPALA —The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), a state agency charged with managing the national statistical system will harness the enthusiasm and momentum around sports to promote awareness on the upcoming national census, Executive Director Chris Ndatira Mukiza has announced.
Uganda will hold a national census on 24th and 25th August 2023.
The national population and housing census will come a year earlier than expected.
Dr. Mukiza announced Tuesday that the agency would use sports as a systematic channel to reach out to Ugandans regarding inclusion and sensitizing them on the importance of being part of the national census scheduled for August 2023.
“Sport is a uniting factor in Uganda,” he told UBOS sports team which recently won a trophy during the Statistics Week.
“Uganda is a very disunited country but when it is sports, when Uganda Cranes is playing, all of them are there. It becomes organically so if we can embrace all games [basketball, swimming, netball], we will achieve unity in the country,” he said.
Adding: “We will use sports in our census advocacy program throughout all the districts. And I think we should start by playing with Parliamentarians.”
Mukiza said sports enforce discipline and teamwork.
“Sportsmen and women are what they are because of discipline. If you’re a good sportsman or woman, it is a clear indication that you have discipline. The other one is team work which is one of our core values of UBOS,” he said.
“We are going to promote many disciplines of sports. It will bring the team to the bureau,” he said asking the agency’s accounting officer to put sports among the priorities.
“Now we’re planning for next financial year. Sports must have a line as a way of improving the wellness of staff, strengthening team work and advocacy and publicity of UBOS.”
