How to Distinguish KNBS Census Staff From Criminals

Kenya’s sixth National Census is set to be conducted by KNBS staff from the evening of August 24 and will extend up to August 31, 2019.

The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), tasked with conducting the recruitment of census personnel, recruited 2,467 ICT Supervisors, 22,268 Content Supervisors and 138,572 enumerators.

The exercise, which will be done at night, is set to begin in just three days, and Kenyans expressed concerns about their safety during the exercise.

There have been fears that criminals may take advantage of the situation, pose as enumerators and use the chance to rob innocent Kenyans.

KNBS has however assured a Kenyans of their safety and apart from including security personnel in the upcoming national exercise, has provided guidelines to help citizens identify enumerators.

READ ALSO: 2019 Census Exercise: Who it Targets and What Questions to Expect 

This is how to identify KNBS census staff:

• When enumerators and supervisors come to your home, they should not knock more than once.
• They will have a special identification card with their names, ID number, government, KNBS and census logos.
• They will have put on orange and maroon reflector jackets with the government logo printed on the right and a census logo on the left. At the back, census motto ‘Jitokeze uhesabike’ is printed.
• No one should ask you for payment. The exercise is free of charge.
• Take note of the gadgets they use. KNBS staff will have black Computer-Aided Personal Interviewer (CAPI) tablets bearing the KNBS logo at the back.
• They will be people you’re familiar with as enumerators recruited are known to the locals, and will be accompanied by security groups, local leaders, residential leaders and in some instances area chiefs who are well known to the locals.
• They will come at night and spend an average of 30 minutes in each house. The amount of time they spend depends on the number of members present in each house.
• After they have collected the required information, the enumerators will mark your door, or any visible place or issue a card to show that data has been collected from your household. Do not erase the mark until the census period is over.

Before the actual exercise, there will be a rehearsal where enumerators and residents will familiarize themselves with the exercise.

Enumerators will ask personal questions such as age, gender, date of birth, nationality/ethnicity, religion, mental status, place of birth, marital status and migration status, persons with disability, education, and occupation, and household questions such as ownership of ICT equipment and services, crop farming, livestock and aquaculture, housing characteristics and ownership of assets.

KNBS says that all this information will be confidential as census official will take a secrecy oath which forbids them from sharing the information with unauthorized persons.

The main reason for conducting census is for a country to have detailed data about population distribution, living conditions and access to basic requirements.

The data collected during the population census is shared among government ministries and departments to help give guidelines on resource allocation and distribution of wealth.

READ ALSO: Ksh 100,000 Fine or 1 Year Jail Term For Giving False Info During Census