This archive report was first published on 19 August 2019.
On August 19, 2019, the Tharaka-Nithi County census exercise was on the brink of collapse due to claims of immense corruption in the recruitment of enumerators.
Residents of various parts of the county, particularly in Tharaka constituency, had been holding demonstrations, threatening to boycott the exercise. They claimed that leaders had given the jobs to their relatives and children of the rich, discriminating against deserving applicants from poor families.
University graduates who had applied for ICT and Content Supervisor positions were allegedly not invited for interviews despite meeting all the qualifications. Mr. Nicholas Mutegi, a university graduate, said he only learned that content supervisors had been called for interviews a day later.
“We came to learn that most of the people who met qualifications for the Content Supervisor positions were shortlisted just for formality but were never contacted for interviews, only a few were called using mobile phones,” said Mr. Mutegi.
Members of the County Assembly, led by Godfrey Murithi, Anita Karimi, and Nyaga Muisraeli, also protested the recruitment process, stating it was marred with corruption. They urged the county commissioner to order investigations before the exercise was boycotted.
Tharaka-Nithi County Commissioner Beverly Opwora dismissed the claims, maintaining that the recruitment exercise was transparent. She asked locals to cooperate and assured that each enumerator would be accompanied by a security officer and a village elder to ensure security and accurate counting.
