Kenya’s 2019 Census: What you need to know

Kenya’s 2019 National Population and Housing Census is just under 10 days away. The census will be conducted pursuant to The Statistics (Census of Population) Order 2018, which details the census date and the information each person being counted will be required to provide.

This will be the sixth national census since independence, and the first under Kenya’s devolved government system under the 2010 Constitution, which means that the stakes are high both for the national and for the county governments as well. The Statistics (Census of Population) Order 2018 details the census date and the information each person being counted will be required to provide.

Counting will be between 24^th and 31^st August, not only 1 night

Counting or enumeration shall be done, and with reference to where each individual in that house, irrespective of the day they are actually enumerated, was on the night of 24^th/25^th August 2019. This includes non-Kenyan citizens and travellers in transit in Kenya at the time of counting.

Counting is done in homes

National censuses in Kenya have traditionally been done house by house, that is, by house/home visits by census officers, different, for example with voting which involves people visiting polling centers like schools for their vote to be counted. Hotels and lodges, prisons, hospitals, boarding institutions, army barracks, airports, country entry points and the like are treated as and are akin to households for purposes of the enumeration.

Only Q&A, not a verification exercise

Enumeration does not require any person producing an identification document, such as a passport or ID; it does not involve a verification of a person’s nationality or any details, but is only a disclosure by or in respect of each individual in a household. Failing to disclose the required information is an offence; imprisonment for up to one year or to a fine of up to Ksh 100,000, or both.

Digital data collection

This will be the first national census where census data will at the outset, that is, at the point of collection of disclosed information, be digitised. This is not only efficient data collection, but it also makes the process of using the raw data to make observations and analyses, and draw inferences and conclusions relatively fast and efficient. This will be ‘big data’, and the governments-counties and national-can plan and forecast with high accuracy and relatively fast.

What will you be asked about?

The Census Order prescribes the information to be collected in respect of all persons in a household. This information includes name, relationship to reference person in the household, sex, age, ethnicity or nationality, religion, marital status, place of birth, place of residence in August 2019 for the main census, duration of residence in the county of enumeration, reasons for moving to the current county of residence, orphan-hood status and albinism. Other information regarding a person’s (and some questions regarding certain individuals, say female persons aged 12 years and above, all persons aged 15 years and above) school attendance, education attainment, ownership of mobile phones etc is also required.

Role of official statistical information

With this national census, as with Kenya’s previous censuses and other countries national census, the government will collect a vast amount of quite accurate and personal information about all (or most) persons in Kenya. Information concerning a country’s population, not just sheer numbers but also the status of their living conditions and generally their standard of living, is invaluable for the national and county governments, primarily to aid in government planning and policy decision-making, including assessing achievement of goals, for instance, the country’s attainment of SDGs.

The UN Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics in its preamble notes the fundamental importance of official statistics for the national and global development agenda, and the critical role of high-quality official statistical information analysis and informed policy decision-making in support of sustainable development, peace and security, as well as for mutual knowledge and trade among the States and peoples of an increasingly connected world, demanding openness and transparency. Among the principles it outlines is that personal data collected in the context of government obtaining official statistics is to be strictly confidential and used exclusively for statistical purposes.

The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics states that the census is the primary source of reliable and detailed data on the size, distribution and composition of the population in the country at a specified time. The information collected when analyzed gives an accurate picture of how many people are living in the country, the distribution across every administrative level and their living conditions as well as access to basic services. This will inform planners on policy formulation and targeting of development plans.

What’s in a name?

One unanswered question is whether the requirement to provide their name is necessary for the purpose of the census. Elections, for example, do not require a voter to indicate his/her name, because this would not serve the purpose of the vote, that is, to identify the persons who the majority have chosen to be their leaders. A requirement to provide one’s name when balloting would be an avenue for corruption; a corrupt leader could be afforded an opportunity to check if those he paid or if those who claim to support him really did vote for him. In any case, a voter’s name does not serve the purpose of the voting.

In reality, all the objectives of the national and housing census are achieved without this parameter, without a person being enumerated needing to give his name and names of all in the household. Perhaps this is merely historical, a requirement in all previous government census that nobody has given thought to delete.

Still, no statistical purpose is served in recording the name of each individual subject of the census, and so late in the day, we can only hope to place reliance on the Census Order which prescribes a penalty for breach of confidentiality of census information (disclosure to unauthorised person without lawful authority) of up to 1 year or a fine of Kshs 100,000, or both.