This archive report was first published on 23 August 2019.
Kenya's census is set to begin on August 24, and with it, tough penalties for those who obstruct the exercise. According to the Statistics (Amendment) Act, 2019, signed into law by President Uhuru Kenyatta last month, anyone who hinders or obstructs the director-general of the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) or any authorised officer in the execution of their powers commits an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding Sh500,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both.
Additionally, failing to answer enumerators' questions or giving them false information will attract a similar penalty, but with a six-month jail term. The court also has the option of penalising the offender with both sanctions.
The census, scheduled for August 24 and 25, is the first since devolution following the promulgation of the Constitution in 2010. It will also be the first time it is carried out using a digital or fully automated process of data capture, which is expected to ensure that the data collected is more accurate and secure, in addition to being collected and accessed at higher speeds and efficiency levels.
Enumerators will ask questions on personal and household information, including personal details, number of living children, access and ownership of ICT equipment and services, crop farming, livestock and aquaculture, housing characteristics, and ownership of assets. All residents found within the borders of Kenya on the census night will be counted, including those on transit, individuals in hotels and lodges, and institutions such as hospitals and prisons.
Counting will start on the night of August 24 and continue up to August 31, 2019, when the exercise is set to end. People will be counted with reference to where they spent the night of August 24/25, 2019, which is called the census reference night. Should one miss out on the counting done on the reference night, they will still be counted but with reference to where one was on the night of August 24/25.
Should one miss the census, a toll-free number will be provided for the individual to contact KNBS, which will send an enumerator to count the person's household. Kenyans out of the country will not be counted.
The initial census report is expected after three months, while the detailed analytical reports will be within one year after the census.
