Jonathan Lukangi
Apr 20, 2024
min
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No Census for Ugandans in the diaspora

May 10th has been declared a public holiday in Uganda, and all those who would be deemed to have been in Uganda from midnight will be counted, according to Dr Mukiza.
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The 2024 Uganda national census is due to take place on May 10th, but Ugandans in the diaspora will not be included in the final count. Dr Chris Mukiza, the Executive Director of the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), revealed this while meeting a delegation of Ugandan MPs on Tuesday afternoon. He cited logistical issues and an inadequate budget.

“We shall have information about Ugandans in the diaspora but in the total count, they will not take part,” he was reported by local media as having told the MPs.

May 10th has been declared a public holiday in Uganda, and all those who would be deemed to have been in Uganda from midnight will be counted, according to Dr Mukiza. At least 114,460 enumerators and 18,483 supervisors are expected to participate in the census.

The population census in Uganda is carried out every 10 years, and the last was held in 2014. The population of Uganda in 2014 was declared to be 34,634,650,up from the 24,227,297 counted in 2002.

There has never been a census of Ugandans in the diaspora, and estimates vary as to the actual numbers. An official from Uganda’s State House put the figure at 1,500,000, with a majority of those living in the USA, Canada, the UK, Europe and the Middle East. Another 700,000 are estimated to be living in other African countries.

Official US government figures have the number of Ugandans in the country as 21,557,with about 20% of them living in the state of Massachusetts. Others with sizable Ugandan populations are New York (6%), California (9%), Georgia (7%), Maryland(6%), Virginia (5%), Washington State (5%) and Texas (5%). 9 states reported no Ugandans at all, these are  Delaware, Hawaii, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, and West Virginia.

Ugandans in the diaspora contribute about $2bn in annual remittances to Uganda, which amounts to about 0.004% of the country’s annual budget.

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