The Executive Director of the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, Chris Mukiza, has called on planners and decision-makers to utilise official statistics in driving Uganda’s socio-economic transformation.
Speaking during the dissemination of the Baseline Education Census 2025 report on Wednesday, Mukiza said the report provides updated and comprehensive data on schools and non-tertiary educational institutions across the country.
The census was conducted jointly by UBOS and the Ministry of Education and Sports and gathered baseline information on learners, teaching and non-teaching staff, school infrastructure and instructional materials.
Mukiza described the release as the culmination of UBOS’ statistical dissemination calendar for the current financial year.
He noted that since March 12, 2026, the bureau has released several statistical reports that are now publicly accessible through the UBOS platform.
“We shall continue to engage different stakeholders to disseminate and communicate these reports further. What now remains for planners and decision-makers is to turn these statistics and data into relevant actions for the socio-economic transformation of our country,” Mukiza said.
He revealed that UBOS is preparing to publish additional reports in the coming weeks, including the Consumer Price Index, inflation data, preliminary Gross Domestic Product estimates, Gross National Income figures, and background statistical tables for the 2026/2027 national budget.
Mukiza also stressed that the bureau’s mandate extends far beyond conducting population censuses every ten years.
“Those who think UBOS only conducts censuses every 10 years have now seen that we do much more than a population census,” he said.
He commended Ugandans for increasingly recognising the value of official statistics and using data to demand accountability and improved service delivery.
“We appreciate the public for understanding the value of statistics. Many countries do not appreciate official statistics the way Uganda does,” he noted.
Mukiza further thanked President Museveni for promoting the use of statistics in governance, describing him as “a champion of statistics” whose public addresses frequently reference official UBOS data.
He urged the public, institutions and policymakers to rely more on official national statistics instead of external data sources.
“Our statistics are more authentic because they are drawn directly from households and communities within our context,” he said.
Mukiza also praised the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni, for spearheading the education census initiative aimed at strengthening Uganda’s Education Management Information System.
The Baseline Education Census is expected to support planning and policy formulation in the education sector by providing updated data on access, staffing, facilities and learning conditions nationwide.