Nairobi News

The Kenya National Bureau Statistics (KNBS) has announced that the 2019 national census will be on the night of 24th to 25th August 2019.

The 2019 census will be the first to make use of technology. It will be a paperless process and will use mobile technology for Cartographic Mapping as well as Enumeration.

Production of the mobile devices to be used during the census is ongoing at JKUAT and Moi universities. The devices will be distributed to the counties as from 12th July 2019.

PILOT CENSUS

While addressing the media on Monday, KNBS Director General Zachary Mwangi said that they have already done pilot census and have finalized mapping of the country for the process.

“We normally conduct pilot census exactly one year before the actual enumeration and this was done in August 2018 last year. We have tested the questionnaire and checked the adequacy of the personal administering the data. This was successfully done in August 2018,” Mwangi said.

Mwangi also noted that the gadgets will help in getting real time data which is sent to the serve as the clerks start the enumeration process. This will in turn will shorten the time taken to release census results.

Included in the questionnaire is data on agriculture which Mwangi said it will be key in supporting the Big four Agenda. Previously the data captured livestock alone.

PERSONNEL

“This time around we have a whole module on agriculture, issues to do with the crop farming, livestock and aquaculture,” he added

Kenya has conducted seven censuses in the past. The first national census was conducted in 1948, followed by 1962, 1969, 1979, 1989, 1999 and 2009.

The total number of personnel required is as follows: 2,700 ICT Supervisors, 27,000 Content Supervisors and 135,000 Enumerators. The recruitment process is being handled by County Census Committees (CCCs) and will be completed by 14th July, 2019.

The training of Traners, ICT Supervisors and Enumerators is scheduled to begin on 15th July 2019 and will be completed by 21st August 2019.