This archive report was first published on 22 August 2019.
Kenya's Census 2019 is set to take place this weekend, and the government has taken measures to ensure maximum participation. Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i has directed bars and entertainment spots to close at 5pm on Saturday and Sunday to enable Kenyans to arrive at their homes at 6pm in readiness for the exercise.
According to Dr. Matiang'i, the early closing of bars will give people an hour to be at their home at 6pm, allowing them to be enumerated. He emphasized that the census will take place at night and will not affect the work of Kenyans, and therefore, Monday next week will not be a public holiday.
Dr. Matiang'i also clarified that adequate security officers have been mobilized to ensure that the directive is followed to provide security during the enumeration. He stated that all security personnel on leave have been recalled back to their work stations, and the enumerators are residents of the locations where they were recruited and know their way about.
They will be accompanied by village elders, and local and international organizations that have expressed interest to act as census monitors will need to acquire monitors cards from county commissioners of the regions they are based. Dr. Matiang'i warned that anyone who purports to be monitoring census without a valid monitors card will be treated as a criminal and will be arrested.
However, the directive has already rubbed soccer fans the wrong way, as the Liverpool versus Arsenal game is scheduled to kick off at 7.30 pm (local time). Fans will be forced to either watch it at home or miss the encounter altogether.
County Commissioner Jim Njoka in Kirinyaga has warned that any bar operator who will be found to be in violation of the directive will have their liquor licence cancelled. He stated that the order will enable census officials 'deal with sober families.'
