NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept 1 (NNN-KBC) – Kenyan officials said the 2019 population and housing census has reached 95 percent threshold, in terms of countrywide coverage.
The sixth national census commenced on the night of Aug 24, and officials anticipated that most nationals would have been enumerated.
“There were no major incidents reported during the period, however, some people who tried to disrupt the exercise were apprehended and will face prosecution,” Saitoti Torome, principal secretary for planning, told journalists in Nairobi.
Torome said, the headcount cost the country 18.5 billion shillings (176.4 million U.S. dollars), which was spread out over a five-year period, owing to early preparations.
He ruled out an extension of the exercise and said, they expect the 95 percent figure to have increased by the close of the exercise, after enumerators complete covering the areas they missed out on.
“The data will be processed speedily, since the census was digitally-based.” Torome said.
Kenya’s other post-independence census have been held in 1969, 1979, 1989, 1999 and 2009.
This was the first census exercise to be conducted, since the promulgation of the new constitution in 2010, and it will help in determining allocation of resources to the counties.– NNN-KBC
