This archive report was first published on 24 August 2019.
Kenya's census kicked off on Saturday, with President Uhuru Kenyatta and his family set to be enumerated at 10pm.
Planning PS Julius Muia and Director General of Kenya National Bureau Of Statistics (KNBS) Zachary Mwangi Chege will conduct the exercise at State House in Nairobi.
Government Spokesman Rtd. Col. Cyrus Oguna emphasized the importance of the exercise, saying it is crucial for planning the country's future.
"This is an important government tool to plan for your child who will be born, who are yet to be born," he said during a Press briefing.
Enumerators will use tablets designed to collect data offline, and the data collected is non-erasable and cannot be tampered with.
However, for those in hotels, they will be given questionnaires to manually fill in and enumerators will input the data electronically at the KNBS centre.
Regarding security, Rtd. Col. Oguna assured that there are elaborate systems in place, including a call centre toll-free number – 0800221020 – which will remain operational from August 24 to 31.
The census will be conducted between 6pm and 6am on Saturday and Sunday, and during the day for the rest of the week.
The government has also made provisions for people with disabilities, including deaf persons, and those with mental health conditions.
Responding to claims about payment issues for enumerators, KNBS Director General Zachary Mwangi Chege said that all biodata of the enumerators has been taken, and they will receive their dues once the census is complete.
