Kenya set for its first paperless census

Kenya is set to undertake its first paperless national census from August 24 to 31.

The sixth census since Kenya attained independence in 1963 and the first under the new constitution, the exercise will see census takers capture data electronically on tablets.

The census will focus on several key areas including population characteristics, labor, education, housing and amenities, disability, household assets and agriculture.

Speaking during the launch of the countdown on Friday, President Uhuru Kenyatta said the country is one of the few African countries to have carried out a census every 10 years without fail, as recommended by the United Nations.

"We do this because we know that census data is an important tool for gathering information necessary for effective planning and monitoring of development in our country," he said.

Kenyatta said the data would enable the government to gauge its development record, helping it to reach equitable resource allocation across the 47 devolved counties as well as define constituency boundaries and ward levels.

"The collected data will enable the government to measure the social-economic status of our nation and to receive the invaluable input necessary for charting the road map for the next step of our journey to achieving Vision 2030," he said.

The president called on Kenyans to cooperate with census takers, who he said will be accompanied by uniformed security officers and community elders and leaders of residents associations.

"In the spirit of leaving no one behind, for the first time in Kenyan history, the census will feature a detailed focus on data of disadvantaged members of society; people living with disabilities, the orphaned and vulnerable children, the elderly and street children," he said.

Kenyatta said the census will ensure pastoral communities and those working in sectors such as hospitals and aviation are counted.

The president called on leaders and stakeholders to encourage the public to participate in the exercise.

Kenyatta said a team of 2,467 ICT supervisors, 22,268 content supervisors and 138,372 census takers will be deployed across the country to undertake the exercise.

Ukur Yattani, the acting cabinet secretary at the National Treasury and Planning, said materials and equipment had been delivered to the various counties and sub-counties in readiness for the census day.

"Over the remaining days, we shall scale-up publicity and advocacy campaigns to ensure that Kenyans have the necessary information regarding the count. We will also collaborate with all our partners and relevant government agencies for the smooth management and delivery of credible census," he said.

edithmutethya@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 08/19/2019 page11)