These Simple Mistakes Could Cost You Sh100K In The Upcoming Census

Kenyans risk paying up to Sh100,000 in fine or be jailed to a maximum of 6 months if they fail to adhere to the guidelines of the Population and Housing Census that kicks off on the night of August 24 and continue up to August 31.

Among those who will be charged are those who will boycott the upcoming census risk, those who provide false information and those who fail to answer enumerators’ questions.

These penalties are stipulated in the Statistics (Amendment) Bill and the Accreditation Service Bill which was recently signed into law by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

“Any person who hinders or obstructs the director-general (of the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics) or any authorised officer in the execution of any powers conferred under this Act commits an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding one hundred thousand shillings or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding twelve months or to both,”part of the act read.

Questions sought by the enumerators will range from property ownership, the number of wives, those living with a disability, amount of money remitted by emigrants to households and whether any occupant of a household has albinism.

The enumerators will also inquire about stillbirths in the household, cause of deaths in the household and the identity of the biological parents of children in the household.

The law also gives census officials powers to access houses and premises for the purpose of the enumeration exercise.

This year’s census will be the eighth one conducted in Kenya, the first one was held in 1948 it is the sixth one since Kenya attained independence.

It is the first one to be carried out using digital gadgets, a paperless process that seeks to boost accuracy, processing speed and authenticity of the data.

The census will focus on eight key areas including population characteristics, disability, education, labor force, ICT, livestock, agriculture, housing conditions, and amenities as well as household assets.

After three months, the initial census report will be released and the detailed analytical reports will be released within a year.

Featured Image Courtesy: The Star