This archive report was first published on 14 July 2019.
Kenya is gearing up for its national census, scheduled to take place between August 24th and 25th, 2019. The exercise will incorporate a temporary staff of 170,000 enumerators, recruited in a process that ended on July 12th, 2019.
However, in Migori County, Governor Okoth Obado has taken a stance against civil servants applying for census jobs. He has vowed to block anyone on government payroll from the census contracts, saying that the unemployed should benefit from the exercise.
"We need 100 percent achievement for the unemployed," said Obado, further advising that officials overseeing the exercise restrict themselves to their counties.
Obado's stance is backed by Uriri Member of Parliament Mark Nyamitta, who had earlier protested the procedure of recruitment at the Uriri recruitment center, citing non-compliance with required provisions.
The leaders have now threatened to rally the community against the one-week exercise if their concerns are not addressed.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), mobile technology will be used in this year's national census process. KNBS Director General Zachary Mwangi said devices will be distributed to all 47 counties as from July 12th, 2019.
