The government has announced a fresh census of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), set to run from July to September 2025, with the aim of improving data-driven policies and service delivery targeting this group.
Dubbed the Uganda Disability Survey (UDS) 2025, the exercise will be conducted by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos), the national agency responsible for censuses and surveys. Officials say the survey will provide a comprehensive picture of the status and needs of all PWDs in the country.
During a stakeholder sensitisation workshop held in Kampala on Tuesday under the theme Improving Disability Statistics in Uganda, officials from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development and Ubos said the survey will go beyond prevalence numbers to capture specific details about causes of disability, daily challenges, access to services, and rehabilitation needs.
Ubos will revisit households that reported having at least one member with a disability during the 2024 National Population and Housing Census, and collect updated information on education, employment, health, and social protection, among other issues.
“The main objective of the UDS 2025 is to provide policymakers with information on disability status for effective evidence-based policy formulation, monitoring, planning, and programming for current and future interventions,” said Prosper Muhumuza, Commissioner for Disability and Elderly Affairs at the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.
He added that the survey will cover a wide scope, including inclusion, vulnerability, resilience, participation, justice, household wealth, and access to goods and services. The survey will use international standards for assessing functional difficulties in six domains: vision, hearing, mobility, cognition (remembering), self-care, and communication.
The latest disability data from Ubos, published in the final report of the 2024 Census, shows Uganda has 5.5 million PWDs, up from 4.4 million in 2014 — representing 13.2 percent of the population. Of these, 2.4 million were male, and 1.7 million were children aged 2–17.
According to the report, the Lango sub-region recorded the highest disability prevalence at 17.4 percent, while Kampala had the lowest at 8.5 percent. Uganda had 41,431 deaf persons, 28,843 blind persons, and 6,314 individuals who were both deaf and blind.
Additional figures include 273,167 people with hearing difficulties, 329,489 with low vision, 434,922 with walking difficulty, 349,960 with remembering difficulty, and 184,991 with communication or speech impairments.
“We are now going to know how many PWDs with specific conditions are located where,” said Esther Kyozira, CEO of the National Union for Persons with Disabilities of Uganda (NUDIPU). “For example, knowing how many visually impaired people are in a given region helps when distributing assistive devices.”
The survey will use four household questionnaires targeting different age groups: 0–4 years, 5–17 years, and adults. For children under five, the focus will be on development milestones in dexterity, learning, socialization, behavior control, and ability to play. Children aged 5–17 and adults will be asked about functional difficulties, mental health, use and cost of assistive devices, experiences of victimization or abuse, stigma and discrimination, marriage or unions, and social protection access.
They will also be asked about access to education, information and communication technology (ICT), attitudes from others, affordability and accessibility of services, and life satisfaction.
“Implementation of most government programs and policies like the National Development Plan needs reliable data,” said Helen Nviiri, Principal Statistician at Ubos. “This disability-specific data will guide planning, monitoring, and evaluation.”
In a speech delivered by Alex Ndeezi, Member of Parliament representing PWDs, Gender Minister Betty Amongi said the UDS 2025 will be a game-changer for national planning.
“I am optimistic that this Uganda Disability Survey and the Disability Monograph will clearly elaborate the situation of various disability categories to inform planning and design of targeted interventions for Uganda,” she said.
SOURCE: DAILY MONITOR https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/government-to-recount-all-persons-with-disabilities-in-new-nationwide-survey-5035878