The Executive Director of the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), Dr. Chris Mukiza, has urged religious leaders to use the recent Census report to improve the livelihoods of their followers, Spyreports can exclusively reveal. Dr. Mukiza made these remarks during a meeting with various religious leaders at the UBOS headquarters in Kampala.
According to the Census report released by UBOS, 2.1% of females in Uganda are either divorced or separated, a statistic Dr. Mukiza highlighted as alarming. He stressed that it is now the responsibility of religious leaders to speak out against divorce. “Divorce is not good when it comes to marriage. People should stay together in their marriages to develop their families and communities. We ask the religious leaders to preach the gospel of togetherness,” Dr. Mukiza said.
Dr. Mukiza also discussed the issue of corruption, revealing that the Census report indicated bribery and greed are the major causes of corruption in Uganda. He urged religious leaders to assist the government by preaching against corruption, as it hinders government programs and development. “If the government allocates money to build a school in a certain area but corrupt individuals steal it, the school won’t be built, thus hindering development,” he explained. He added that corruption contributes to poverty, and by fighting it, religious leaders could help foster community development.
In addition, Dr. Mukiza pointed out that 66.8% of the total population is enrolled in primary school, a figure he considered still too low, given the government’s investment in Universal Primary Education. He called on religious leaders to encourage parents to send their children to school. He also spoke out against early pregnancies among underage girls, urging religious leaders to take a stand in combating this issue.
The Census data further showed that 22.3% of children are enrolled in secondary school, signaling a high dropout rate after primary school. “66.8% are in primary school and 22.3% are in secondary school—where does the rest of the population go after primary?” Dr. Mukiza asked. He also noted that a significant number of children, especially the young ones, do not sleep under mosquito nets, leading to an increase in malaria-related deaths. “Religious leaders, always tell your people to sleep under mosquito nets,” he advised. He also encouraged them to educate their communities about immunization and sanitation.
Dr. Mukiza expressed UBOS’s commitment to supporting religious leaders by providing them with data, tablets, and relevant knowledge. “We shall sign an MOU with IRCU so that we can directly help them,” he said.
Dr. Bishop Zziwa of Mityana Diocese thanked UBOS for conducting a thorough and digital Census that ensured nearly all Ugandans were counted. “We have seen the Census report, and we shall preach where there are gaps, particularly in issues like marriage, education, and child pregnancies in our communities,” he said. He also acknowledged the religious community’s contribution in fighting corruption, noting, “Our voices against corruption have helped to reduce it, although it is still present.”
