This archive report was first published on 29 August 2019.
On August 25, 2019, Abraham Cheruiyot appeared before senior principal magistrate Richard Odenyo in Kesses, Uasin Gishu County, facing charges of obstructing Sandra Chepchumba in the course of her duties.
Cheruiyot pleaded guilty to the charges and was subsequently convicted. The magistrate ruled that he would pay a fine of Sh50,000 or spend six months in prison.
According to the prosecution, Ms Chepchumba had gone to her place of work on Sunday morning in the company of a village elder. She began taking down information from two women at a homestead, but Cheruiyot stormed the house and ordered them not to answer any more questions.
He was thereafter arrested.
Elsewhere in the country, a 68-year-old man in Vihiga County was arrested for hiding in a tree to avoid being counted. Elias Asige was taken to Serem Police Station for questioning after being arrested by a team of security officers led by Harun Mbeere.
Asige had subscribed to a cultist church based in Eldoret town and had previously refused to participate in government projects and programmes, citing his church doctrines.
He will be charged with failure to provide information to census officials.
Additionally, area chief Rose Kadenge in Mtwapa, Kilifi County, was forced to flee from rowdy census officials who had staged protests over delayed pay.
Enumerators and supervisors in the area had downed their tools to stage a demonstration, prompting the chief to urge them to return to work.
Finally, a cleric and his wife in Naivasha were arrested after blocking enumerators from counting them. They had locked themselves in their houses in Gatamaiyu village and defied orders from police to open their door.
