The National Census exercise is set to end today and there are some questions asked by the enumerators that made members of the public slightly uncomfortable.
Below we have sampled a few.
Do you have another wife?
This question is not only embarrassing but also intruding especially to the majority of Kenyan men who never think of having a side chick or mpango wa kando for that matter. I mean who will have the guts to say before his wife that he has another secret wife kept somewhere? This will be a recipe for chaos.
Why did you come to Nairobi?
A question like the one above has definitely an obvious answer, but these officials will make sure that each and every person explains what brought him or her to this capital city. They should have known that whether someone to study, or was born here; most people are in Nairobi to “hustle” and to make ends meet.
Do you have a farm, cows?
As much as they want to know how many people are doing farming in Nairobi, some people are finding it inappropriate having to answer questions related to farming, rearing of cattle, pigs, chicken among others yet Nairobi is a known “shamba la mawe”.
Do you have a fridge, electric cooker, car, computer?
This question may not have a problem in itself but how do you ask someone living in a single mabati house such a question yet you don’t even see TV ya mgongo in the house? How will someone think of having an electric cooker yet the house he is living in does not even have electricity in the first place? It would be prudent for these officials to use some common sense to understand where and when to ask some of these questions.
What gender are you?
It is interesting for the census official to insist on asking someone’s gender yet they are seeing him or her as man or woman. Yes, we do understand that there are people who are intersex but the manner in which these guys posed such questions is embarrassing not only to interviewees but also to the enumerators themselves.
Do you have problems with your legs, ears, eyes?
Imagine someone asking you that kind of question yet you are talking to him, and you see them? You would also imagine why someone on earth could want to know whether you have a problem with your legs yet you don’t have not raised any concern over the same. If this is not irrelevant, then I don’t know what it is.
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