This archive report was first published on 10 September 2019.
Published on September 10, 2019, by Alice Wairimu Nderitu, the author of Beyond Ethnicism, Mukami Kimathi: Mau Mau Freedom Fighter and Kenya: Bridging Ethnic Divides.
Population censuses have been a topic of discussion in Ethiopia and Kenya, with the Kenyan census taking place in the last week of August. In Ethiopia, parliamentarians voted to postpone the census due to security concerns related to ethnic conflicts, which are crucial in demarcating constituencies before the 2020 national vote.
Censuses play a vital role in gathering social and economic data, informing planning policies, and supporting research on social phenomena. However, in countries like Ethiopia and Kenya, ethnicity and politics are closely linked, making the census a contentious issue.
Many people eagerly await census results, hoping to know which ethnic community has the most numbers and who has been overtaken by whom. Ethnicity breeds many census controversies, and the results often reinforce stereotypes and stigmatization.
For instance, in the 1994 census in Ethiopia, people were forced to choose one ethnicity, even if they had parents from different ethnic groups. Federal subsidies to regions and allocation of seats in Ethiopia's parliamentary chambers are partly based on population.
In the 2009 census, some Kenyan communities alleged they had been lumped under other communities, and some people declined to declare their ethnicities. Ethnic numbers translate into representation and power, making the census a significant issue in both countries.
The census presents opportunities to recognize marginalized and minority groups, but it also entrenches ethnicism. In countries like Ethiopia and Kenya, where ethnicity is a significant factor in politics, the census results can predict election outcomes and reinforce ethnic voting patterns.
Politicians in both countries believe that voters are unlikely to change their ethnic voting patterns, and when census results are out, those with the numbers will claim to have won the election. The census, an important exercise, is reduced to a political contest, making minority groups feel irrelevant to their electoral participation.
Nomadic populations have a particularly contentious relationship with the census. In the 2009 Kenyan census, figures from eight districts, all nomadic communities, were held back as flawed, leading to accusations of marginalization.
Defining differences and similarities in people lies at the heart of inclusion and exclusion practices and exists in all societies. Censuses help to make sense of and create order out of information, but political implications often take precedence and reinforce stereotypes and stigmatization.
