An employee of the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) in Kabale, Jude Twebaze, is currently in police custody. The accusation against him is that he disrupted the National census exercise. Twebaze, who works at the NWSC head office in Kampala, was apprehended while on a bus journey to Kampala.
The national census began with the Census Night on Thursday. To ensure compliance with the exercise, roadblocks were set up to screen passengers. In Kabale town, the counting exercise was overseen by police patrols monitoring each bus.
Andrew Akanyijuka, the OC station ASP, reported that Twebaze was arrested the previous night. The arrest was made after Twebaze allegedly refused to be counted and persuaded other passengers on the bus to do the same. Akanyijuka recounted that when their team of enumerators approached a Baby Coach bus, Twebaze adamantly advised every passenger to refuse to be counted.
The police initially warned Twebaze about the importance of the census as a government program, but he ignored the warning. Akanyijuka confirmed that Twebaze is currently detained at Kabale Police Station.
Godfrey Nyakahuma, the Kabale Resident District Commissioner (RDC), issued a warning against any attempts to sabotage the national census. He emphasized the significance of the census in establishing demographics for effective government planning. He urged residents to avoid any actions that could compromise the integrity of the census.
Nyakahuma also highlighted that Twebaze’s case will serve as a deterrent to the public. He added that Twebaze will be brought before the courts to face charges.
Nyakahuma recalled the incident on the census night when enumerators encountered difficulties with Twebaze, who refused to be counted. He stated that they took immediate action and arrested him. He appealed to all Kabale residents to take the census exercise seriously and warned that anyone resisting would be arrested. He also mentioned that Twebaze would be prosecuted for defying a government program.
The government has cautioned that anyone found guilty of sabotaging the national census could face prosecution and a potential jail term of six months.
Uganda conducts a national census every 10 years, with the last one taking place in 2014. The 2024 National Census is unique as it is the first to utilize digital technology for data collection, processing, and dissemination of census results.
The data obtained from the census is crucial for guiding planning, policy formulation, and program implementation.