… But director faults red tape for enumerators’ hurdles
by Thoboloko Ntšonyane & Seabata Mahao
Concerns continue to mount among enumerators and assistant supervisors involved in Lesotho’s 2026 Population and Housing Census. Workers are alleging delayed payments, missing allowances, and a lack of transparency around how their claims are being processed.
The complaints come shortly after the completion of field enumeration for the national census, which was conducted by the Bureau of Statistics (BOS) under the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning.
Lekoeneha Pompo, an enumerator from the Teyateyaneng Constituency, spoke on behalf of affected workers. He said that while some progress has been made following engagements with the Bureau of Statistics (BOS), significant challenges remain unresolved.
Pompo acknowledged that some previously raised concerns have begun to receive attention.
“Following the assistance and intervention that was provided regarding our concerns with the Bureau of Statistics, some progress has been made,” he said.
According to Pompo, workers received some of the materials required to do their jobs, including name tags, flasks, and reporting materials. He also said some enumerators received their April allowances.
However, he noted that a substantial number of census workers remain unpaid.
“There is a group of approximately 600 enumerators who have not yet received their April allowances. Furthermore, no one has received the M204 daily wages for either April or May, and no one has received allowances for the month of May,” Pompo said.
Among the biggest concerns is the allegation that some constituencies are only being compensated for part of May, even though workers claim they remained on duty until the end of the month.
Pompo cited TY 24 Constituency as an example.
“It is deeply concerning that some constituencies, including TY24 where I was working, appear to be scheduled to receive May wages and allowances only up to May 24 or 25 instead of the full period from May 1 to 30, despite the fact that most of us worked throughout the entire month,” he said.
He further alleged that many enumerators never received written contracts or official memoranda detailing the terms of their employment.
“Despite the fact that many of us worked until May 30, our claims have reportedly been reduced to cover only up to May 24 or 25 through our assistant supervisors. We are particularly worried because these claims are now being processed without our direct involvement or verification,” he added.
Enumerators say they are entitled to a daily taxable wage of M204 and a non-taxable allowance of M350, amounting to M554 per day before deductions. Workers argue that excluding five or six working days from their claims could result in losses exceeding M2,500 per person.
Assistant supervisors have also voiced frustration over outstanding payments.
One assistant supervisor, who requested anonymity, said he signed a formal contract with the Bureau of Statistics at the start of his employment.
“I signed a contract at the beginning of my employment as an assistant supervisor with the Bureau of Statistics. My contract started on March 16, 2026, and was initially expected to end in April, but it was later extended until the end of May,” he explained.
The supervisor said he was entitled to a daily allowance of M350 for the entire period worked, 77 days of service.
“Although the work has been completed, I have only received M4,900, which covered the first two weeks (14 days) of work, and nothing more. There is still an outstanding balance of approximately M35,056, which is being paid irregularly and only in very small amounts to some individuals, while others have received nothing at all,” he alleged.
Contractual obligations
A copy of the assistant supervisors’ contract reviewed by this publication outlines several obligations on the part of the employer.
The agreement states that employees are to be remunerated in accordance with Public Service Regulations and are entitled to monthly salary payments. The contract further obliges the employer to provide a safe working environment, supply all necessary resources and equipment, and comply with the Constitution and applicable laws of Lesotho.
The agreement also provides mechanisms for dispute resolution under the Public Service Act 2005 and the Codes of Good Practice.
Attempted boycott notice
The payment dispute appears to have escalated earlier in the census exercise.
Documents seen by this publication indicate that a group identifying itself as “United Enumerators” drafted a formal notice addressed to the Bureau of Statistics and the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning. However, according to the workers, officials allegedly declined to accept the letter.
In the correspondence, census workers notified management of their intention to boycott field operations from May 11, 2026, unless outstanding salaries and allowances were paid and written contract extensions issued.
The workers argued that the census period had been extended through verbal instructions rather than formal written agreements.
“We insist that any extension of the contract period must be provided in written form, clearly stating adjusted duration. Verbal directives expose us to future disavowal of obligations by the Bureau, leaving us unprotected,” the letter stated.
The workers further demanded the immediate payment of all outstanding salaries and allowances, and the issuance of formal written contract renewals duly signed and stamped by the Bureau.
Enumerators and assistant supervisors say they remain committed to supporting a credible national census but argue that they should receive the compensation promised for work already completed.
The affected workers are now appealing to relevant authorities within the Bureau of Statistics, the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, and other government stakeholders to urgently address the outstanding payments and clarify the status of claims currently being processed.
Director faults red tape for enumerators’ hurdles
However, the Director of the Bureau of Statistics, ‘Malehloa Molato, has conceded that the challenges that have mired the recent population and housing census are the result of governance bureaucracy.
On Wednesday this week, enumerators took their grievances to the Lehakoe Recreation Club to protest during a census stakeholders’ dialogue hosted by the BOS to brief the public on progress and the way forward.
This year’s national census was rocked by controversy and alleged nepotism even before work began. The recruitment process was also allegedly compromised by political recruitment perpetuated by the Revolution for Prosperity (RFP), and the final lists publication had to be revised and delayed.
There was also a threat by some members of the public and politicians to boycott the census owing to alleged nepotism. Some politicians condemned the manner in which the recruitment of enumerators and other support staff, such as supervisors, was handled.
One enumerator complained that they began work as an assistant supervisor with the BOS on March 16, 2026, under a contract originally due to end in April but extended until May 31. They alleged they were entitled to a daily allowance of M350 for 77 working days, translating to M26,950 total owed, but have so far received only M4,900 as payment for the first 14 days. They reported an outstanding balance of M35,056 being paid irregularly and in small amounts to some staff, who described the current payment process as erratic and unfair.
Another enumerator, who did not want their identity disclosed for fear of reprisals, alleged that airtime had been misallocated. The complaint also stated that their backpack was incomplete and that their wages due from March 16, 2026, had not been paid.
Some enumerators alleged that an extension had been granted under dubious circumstances and that their allowances had been calculated incorrectly.
Approached for comment, the Director of BOS said convoluted red tape lies at the heart of the problems dogging census payments. She explained that before salaries can be processed, they have to check timesheets, an exercise done only at month end to pay each enumerator for the number of days worked.
She said after counting days, records are taken to the accounts department, and funds have to be released by the Central Bank.
Molato also said delays in processing salaries and allowances were due to some workers who did not have bank accounts and were asked to open them. She blamed the cumbersome process and consolidation work for creating bottlenecks, leaving temporary staff out of pocket.
“We are not proud of these delays. As we speak, our accounts team is busy processing the payments. We have even asked for additional accountants, and the [Ministry of] Education has assigned us some. Even today we are going to seek an update on the status of payments,” she said, adding that those affected will receive their compensation.
“Everyone is going to be paid,” Molato said.
On the question of why some enumerators had to fork out money from their own pockets to buy data for the tablets, the BOS said the SIM cards in the tablets were unlimited, but some did not “follow instructions for setting up.” However, the BOS admitted they failed to relay messages well to everyone, as some who raised concerns were assigned IT technicians to help with setup.
Asked to commit to a timeline for settling all outstanding salaries and allowances, she said she would need to consult their accounts department to determine that, but promised that by month end, almost everyone will have been paid.
On the way forward
On the way forward until August 2026, when preliminary results will be announced, the Director of BOS said they are currently undertaking a validation exercise and doing structural edits.
Following the publication of preliminary results, she said they will run a tabulation plan programme, run content errors, run tables for thematic reports, do analysis and report writing, edit reports, format and publish them, and then document and archive all census materials.
The preliminary results, she said, will be disseminated to all districts from October 13 to 30. She noted, however, that the law requires that they can only release 10% of data for public consumption and research purposes, not the disaggregated data, as it is personal data of the nation.
All census reports and all data sets, handled in line with the law, will be available in March 2027.
Summary
- Among the biggest concerns is the allegation that some constituencies are only being compensated for part of May, even though workers claim they remained on duty until the end of the month.
- “It is deeply concerning that some constituencies, including TY24 where I was working, appear to be scheduled to receive May wages and allowances only up to May 24 or 25 instead of the full period from May 1 to 30, despite the fact that most of us worked throughout the entire month,” he said.
- “I signed a contract at the beginning of my employment as an assistant supervisor with the Bureau of Statistics.
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