After what the Government described as ‘unbelievable’ census figures for some districts in North Eastern and Turkana regions, and the subsequent cancellation of the results, a debate has emerged on whether or not the headcount should be repeated.
The Government and several interested NGOs want a repeat census while a number of the regions’ leaders are of the contrary opinion. They vowed to do all they can to block the exercise, which Ministry of Planning estimated would cost taxpayers about Sh400 million.
In my humble opinion, it hurts no one to be enumerated whatever times and by stopping a repeat census for the said regions, the leaders stand to gain nothing and for being counted, the residents will lose nothing. Therefore, I think the leaders are either playing politics for politics’ sake or they have something to hide about the planned exercise, its implication and/or the populations. Their arguments are simplistic and self-defeating.
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Weak defense
Given the figures of the census results in the affected districts that were released last year, it is evident something was amiss. Either the census officials did a shoddy job or the areas host millions of illegal immigrants. For the MPs to assert that polygamy among the residents is the reason for the population explosion portrays a lack of knowledge on population growth trends because polygamy does not in any way increase population. It only adds to the number of children under a man’s name.
The MPs have a point in suggesting the Government should use the cash to feed the hungry residents instead of recounting them, but I think it has a responsibility to do both – feeding starving populations and determining the population. Here, there is no money being misused, as they claim.
Population census is done for national planning, not merely for documentation’s sake and the hunger situation in the regions is the more reason headcount is necessary.
{Zipporah Mueni, Kitui }
The Planning ministry’s decision to cancel the census results was uncalled for. The people of North Eastern Province did not exaggerate their numbers. Those who know the terrain of the area will understand that counting nomadic herders is no mean task. Add to this the fact that there has been no solid record in the past to support any arguments of population explosion, and you realise the figures found in the original census may well be correct.
{Jibril Mohamed, Eldoret}