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Kenyans yet to be counted urged to contact local chiefs as census ends

An enumerator at Machakos hospital. Photo/COURTESY.

NAIROBI, Kenya Aug 31 – Kenyans who have not been counted in the census exercise that ends on Saturday have been urged to make efforts to ensure they are enlisted by contacting the Kenya National Bureau of Statics (KNBS) or report to their nearest local administration offices.

Principal Secretary in the State Department of Planning Saitoti Torome said Kenyans can contact the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) through toll-free number 08-00-22-10-20 upon which enumerators will be dispatched to their location immediately.

“The government is determined to ensure everyone is enumerated,” the PS said on Saturday, “anyone yet to be enumerated should call this number or inform their local chiefs.”

The government insists the census duration will not be extended, after running for a whole week from August 24, with the PS saying it has recorded a 95 percent success.

Results of the census exercise are expected in November.

“Since we have covered up to 95 percent to date, we expect the remaining 5 percent to be covered in the remaining time and we are confident that this can be achieved. Our enumerators are now concentrating on regions where they were not be able to find people during the week,” he said.

He further asked those who would have not been counted by Saturday night after notifying the Kenya National Bureau of Statics (KNBS) to report to their nearest chief offices or any other government administrative office.

Torome said the government is committed to ensure that no Kenyan is left out in the process, noting that the data collected will aid in the planning of the country’s development in the next 10 years.

“This exercise is an important investment for the government to gather information for planning to establish the composition of the country’s composition,” he said.

He at the same time warned that the government will take action against the few individuals who were arrested when they were found interfering with the exercise “in one way or another.”

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A number of cases were reported across the country where enumerators were either harassed or Kenyans opted not to cooperate with the enumerators with PS Torome insisting that the law will take its course.

A new Statistics Amendment Bill states that persons arrested contravening the smooth process of the exercise are subjected to fines of up to Sh1 million fine or 6 months imprisonment or both.

The once in a decade exercise witnessed the incorporation of technology where the data captured was done through mobile devices with the transition being digitized, with the government noting that this would aid in getting accurate data and above all safeguard the information collected.

According to the acting National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yattani, the state allocated Sh18.5 billion but this amount, he said, spreads across a five-year period, starting from 2016 when the design development and planning was done at a cost of Sh255 million.

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