The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) has clashed with the Ministry of Information, Communication Technology and National Guidance (MoICT&NG) over the launch of a National Data Strategy, accusing the ministry of overstepping its legal mandate.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, UBOS Executive Director Chris Mukiza described the strategy as illegal, irregular and redundant, arguing that the responsibility for coordinating and supervising Uganda’s National Statistical System rests with the statistics bureau.
“The so-called ‘National Data Strategy’ breaches the provisions of the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) Act 1998, Cap 333,” Mukiza said.
He explained that the law establishes UBOS as the principal agency responsible for collecting and disseminating official statistics, as well as coordinating, monitoring and supervising the National Statistical System.
Mukiza argued that the ministry lacked the legal authority to spearhead matters relating to statistics, insisting that the mandate rests with UBOS under the existing legal framework.
“UBOS informs the public that the MoICT&NG has no legal mandate to spearhead matters incidental to statistics. That mandate is vested with the Uganda Bureau of Statistics,” he said.
The bureau further warned that the launch of the strategy posed an existential threat to the UBOS Act, arguing that it duplicated existing legal and institutional frameworks governing the collection, management and dissemination of official statistics.
According to Mukiza, the issues the new strategy seeks to address are already covered by the UBOS Act, the Plan for National Statistics Development, the UBOS Strategic Plan and the Data Quality Assessment Framework.
He maintained that these frameworks already provide for the coordination of statistical activities across the National Statistical System, rendering the new strategy unnecessary.
“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,” Mukiza said.
UBOS also urged the public to reject the strategy, advising them to treat it “with the utmost contempt it deserves.”
The dispute raises questions about the respective roles of UBOS and the ICT ministry in Uganda’s data governance framework, particularly regarding the coordination of national data initiatives and the authority to develop policies governing statistical information.
UBOS reiterated its commitment to providing reliable statistical services to support evidence-based planning, policy formulation and decision-making.
The ministry launched the National Data Strategy on Wednesday, October 21, 2026. However, UBOS maintains that the initiative falls outside the ministry’s legal mandate.
The statement did not indicate whether the bureau had formally petitioned the government or initiated legal proceedings to challenge the strategy.
