This archive report was first published on 22 August 2019.
Published on August 22, 2019, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i has warned politicians against influencing the outcome of the census by urging Kenyans to travel to their rural homes.
According to Matiang'i, the government has received reports that some politicians have been holding meetings to plan the movement of people from Nairobi and other major towns to be counted in their home counties.
He stated that the unnamed leaders would face the law if they continue with such activities.
“There are parts of the country where we have received reports that politicians are playing funny games, asking people to move this way or that way,” Matiang'i said.
“I want to tell you that we are following up these activities and we are watching you. At an appropriate time, we shall ensure you meet with the law,” he added.
The government's warning comes as governors and MPs from various parts of the country have been asking Kenyans to travel to their rural homes so that they can be counted from there.
Their aim is to garner numbers that will later determine their counties' revenue share, as some MPs fight to save their constituencies.
Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya is one of those who have openly asked Kenyans from the region living in other counties to return home and take part in the exercise.
He urged western Kenya residents to take the exercise seriously, saying it will prove the region's numerical strength ahead of the 2022 General Election.
Some central Kenya MPs also reportedly organised buses to ferry people for free to their respective constituencies in a bid to meet the 133,000 threshold that gives a constituency sovereignty.
Dr Matiang'i said such leaders are going against President Uhuru Kenyatta’s statement that “census is a straight forward exercise and let’s allow it to be that”.
He also insisted that all security personnel will be on duty for the entire census period and that all bars and other social places would remain closed despite pleas by Kenyans on social media to revise the decision.
