Uganda’s 2024 National Housing and Population Census got off to a smooth start Friday, with 98-year-old Kwar Adhola Moses Stephen Owor taking part in the enumeration excercise.
Credit: The Independent.
According to Uganda Bureau of Statistics-UBOS, the King of the Jopadhola has participated in every census held in the country since Independence.
“We are grateful for the support from all cultural institutions,” UBOS said in a statement after interacting with the head of the Tieng Adhola Cultural Institution (TACI).
Jopadhola in eastern Uganda are preparing to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the crowning of Kwar Adhola Owor this coming August, and a series of festivities are planned.
Kwar Adhola, has a rich profile that has seen him serve the country as Permanent Secretary in the then Ministry of Labour where he played a key role sowing the seeds for the formation of NSSF. He served the Federation of Uganda Employers as Executive Director and later joined the International Labour Organization based in Nairobi, Kenya as Chief Technical Advisor.
He was among others, Chairperson of the Boards of Kilembe Mines Ltd and Produce Marketing Board and served on various other committees of government such as that one which made in 1987 recommendations to rationalize the public service of Uganda.
In other spheres, he was the first African Head of the Laity of Christ the King Parish in the seventies, was Charter President of Tororo Rotary Club, Member of board of Governors of St. Anthony Hospital, Tororo, the Benedictine Eye Hospital, also in Tororo and St. Peter’s College, Tororo. He has several children, serving the society in various public and private capacities.
Enumerators visited the palace in Tororo municipality to collect data during the National Population and Housing Census (NPHC) enumeration exercise that started after midnight.
The census night has been followed by a gazetted public holiday not only to mark the first day of enumeration but to also give opportunity for more respondents to remain and home to await the enumerators. After the Census Public Holiday will come Saturday and Sunday, during which respondents who stay at home over weekends will also await the enumerators. The exercise is expected to end on Sunday, 19th May.