Why census will be the launch pad for 2022 poll contest

The August 24 population census will be an election before the official General Election. The Good Book tells us that King David conducted a census of the people of Israel. David was motivated by pride; he wanted to know how many subjects he rules over, how many warriors could handle a sword for battle, how strong his economy and how big his labour force was. It was an exercise in savoring power. In fact the Bible tells us that it was Satan himself who caused David to undertake the census.

In Kenya, 2,139 years later we are also about to be counted, just like the Israelites. But unlike David’s census, which was about a numeric consolidation for power, ours is about numeric fragmentation for power. The census is an exercise in tribal tallying. The many little ‘Ethnic King Davids’ want to know how strong their numbers, how big their voting block.