This archive report was first published on 16 August 2019.
On August 16, 2019, Employment and Labour Relations Court Judge Maureen Onyango made a landmark ruling in a case filed by residents of Homa Bay County, ordering the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) to disclose the names of supervisors and enumerators listed for a section of the county.
The petitioners, Michael Kojo, Evince Otieno, John Okambo, Antony Gaya, and Daniel Onyango, had claimed that the hiring process was marred with irregularities and that the officials had refused to provide information as requested by members of the public.
KNBS Director General Zachary Mwangi is at the center of the controversy, with the petitioners alleging that the hiring officials had violated provisions of the Constitution and the Fair Administrative Action Act.
According to the petitioners' papers, "The administrative action taken by [the commission, the statistics officer and the KNBS] has resulted in hiring of persons who did not apply for various positions."
The census exercise, set to begin in a week's time, may be affected as the suit is decided by the court.
Similar claims have been made in other areas, including Kangemi Ward, Westklands constituency, and parts of Kiambaa constituency, where rowdy youth stormed centers where enumerators had gathered for training.
