This archive report was first published on 26 August 2019.
On August 25, 2019, police in Tana Delta, Tana River County, arrested five village elders for inciting locals against the ongoing national population and housing census.
The elders, aged between 58 and 70, were arrested after they allegedly incited villagers to chase away census enumerators from Munguveni village in Mnazini Sub-Location.
According to Tana River County Police Commander Fredrick Ochieng, the elders protested against the exercise, claiming that youth from their village were not offered jobs as enumerators.
The elders allegedly warned villagers against opening their doors to 'foreigners' (enumerators not from the village), thwarting efforts to kick off the exercise as planned.
"We tried to reason with them from the chief's level and even the deputy county commissioner had a discussion with them but they insisted that they will not allow the exercise until they have some of their own as enumerators," Mr Ochieng said.
The elders were arrested and locked up at the Garsen Police Station as enumerators were accompanied by the police to the village to carry on with the census.
They face charges of incitement to violence and will be charged at a Garsen court on Monday morning.
