This archive report was first published on 9 August 2019.
The Ministry of Education has announced a one-week postponement of the third term opening date for schools, which will now start on 2nd September 2019.
The decision was made to coincide with the National Population and Housing Census exercise, which will be conducted on the night of 24th August 2019.
According to a circular signed by Principal Secretary for Early Learning and Basic Education, Dr. Belio Kipsang, the census dates overlap with the original third term opening date of 26th August 2019.
Dr. Kipsang stated, 'For the forthcoming census to be successful, it is the desire of the National Bureau of Statistics that there be minimum movements of the population so that they may get as many people as possible in conventional households. It is therefore important that we reschedule the opening date for Term 3, 2019 to start on 2nd September, 2019 and end on the 25th October, 2019.'
The third term will now run until 25th October 2019.
This will be the 8th National Population and Housing Census in Kenya, following previous censuses in 1948, 1962, 1969, 1979, 1989, 1999, and 2009.
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) assures that all census information will be held in strict confidence and used for statistical purposes only.
KNBS also emphasizes that individual particulars will not be made public, and all census officials will swear an 'Oath of Secrecy' as required by law.
According to KNBS, all persons present within Kenya's borders on the night of 24th August 2019 will be counted as part of the census exercise.
Information on tribe, ethnicity, and nationality will be collected due to its statistical and cultural value, which helps assess socio-economic characteristics of people from different backgrounds and identify minority groups.
