This archive report was first published on 25 August 2019.
The 2019 National Population and Housing Census in Kenya got off to a challenging start, with enumerators encountering numerous obstacles in their duties.
On the first night of the critical exercise, enumerators were faced with a multitude of challenges, ranging from cultural beliefs to unpredictable weather conditions.
In Kajiado County, the Maasai culture presented a significant hurdle, as men were not allowed to count their children due to the belief that it would attract bad omens.
However, Governor Joseph Ole Lenku intervened to ensure maximum participation in the exercise, and village elders were compelled to convince the men to have their children counted.
Tragically, a census enumerator in Kisumu was hospitalized after being gang-raped and robbed by unknown attackers on Saturday night.
Heavy rainfall in Kirinyaga County also slowed down the pace of enumerators, while in Malindi town, residents deserted the streets early to participate in the census exercise.
Malindi Member of Parliament Aisha Jumwa has called for the extension of the exercise to ensure as many people as possible are enumerated.
Devolution Chief Administrative Secretary Hussein Dado, who enumerated at Oda village in Garsen, Tana River County, urged pastoralist communities to ignore cultural biases and participate in the exercise.
