KAMPALA — A high-profile institutional clash has erupted between government entities after the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) declared the newly launched National Data Strategy by the Ministry of Information, Communication Technology and National Guidance (MoICT&NG) illegal, irregular, and redundant.
In a public statement issued on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, UBOS Executive Director and Chief Statistician Dr. Chris N. Mukiza voiced serious concern over the ministry’s initiative, warning that the strategy directly breaches the provisions of the UBOS Act 1998 (Cap 333).
According to UBOS, the law establishes the bureau as the primary agency responsible for collecting and disseminating national data, as well as coordinating, monitoring, and supervising the entire National Statistical System.
“The MoICT&NG has no legal mandate to spearhead matters incidental to statistics. That mandate is vested with the Uganda Bureau of Statistics,” Dr. Mukiza stated. “The launch of that ‘National Data Strategy’ is an existential threat to the UBOS Act and is, therefore, illegal, irregular, redundant and adds no value to the National Statistical System.”
Legal Mandates and Duplication
UBOS noted that its statutory functions explicitly include providing high-quality central statistics, enforcing standardization in data collection, reviewing and approving all national and local data instruments (such as questionnaires and census frames), and maintaining the national central statistical depository.
The statistics agency further clarified that the objectives targeted by the ministry’s new strategy are already fully catered for under existing legal and operational frameworks. These include the Plan for National Statistics Development, the UBOS Strategic Plan, and the Data Quality Assessment Framework.
Dr. Mukiza advised the general public to treat the ICT Ministry’s initiative “with the utmost contempt it deserves,” reiterating that UBOS remains the sole authority committed to delivering evidence-based statistics for policy formulation and national planning.
The ICT Ministry has yet to issue an official response regarding the legal objections raised by the statistical body.
