Ugandan women have been called upon to provide accurate information about their age to the census enumerators in the upcoming National Population and Housing Census.

This call was made by the National Resistance Movement’s (NRM) women’s league chairperson, Mrs. Lydia Wanyoto, at a press conference.

Mrs. Wanyoto pointed out that women are often in the habit of concealing their true age.

She noted that providing the wrong data to the government might seriously impede its planning processes.

“Sometimes the age on your birth certificate is different from that on your marriage certificate and also different from what you registered at the workplace,” said Wanyoto.

“That undermines planning because the government has gone a long way to work and do programs according to age groups.”

Wanyoto was speaking to the press at the NRM offices ahead of International Women’s Day, which is being marked today, Friday 8.

Wanyoto also pointed out other inconsistencies common to women, such as changes in names.

“When many women get married, they replace their maiden name with the marital name without undergoing a legal process. This is wrong because you will have become a different person if you don’t update your status in the government data system,” she said.

According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, the upcoming national census, which kicks off on May 9th, will seek to record ample data on the lives and welfare of Ugandan women and girls.

The census enumerators, for instance, will ask questions about childbirth history from all women aged 12–54 years.

UBOS has made a general appeal to Ugandans to participate and provide accurate information during the exercise.

“We assure the general public and all stakeholders that the Census undertaking is an essential national activity necessary for informing the government on the citizenry’s needs for effective planning and allocation of resources,” the Bureau noted.