The Meru community members living in Isiolo county have dismissed the census report for highlighting dominant ethnic groups within counties without displaying any figures to support their findings.
They questioned the parameters used by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics to reach the conclusions on ethnic dominance. Led by their chairperson Paul Mugambi, they read mischief in the report for stating that Meru second last among the communities living in Isiolo. They said the community was paced as the second largest 10 years ago.
"What criteria was used by the KNBS to rank the communities, yet the report lacks any numbers? The author of the demographic report ought to indicate clearly the number of people attributed to each ethnic group just as they have indicated the total population in the county,” Mugambi said.
Citing the report, he said the number of people in the county had risen from 143,000 in 2009 to more than 260,000 this year and questioned whether only the other communities increased in sizes.
The report ranks the Borana as the most dominant ethnic community in Isiolo county, followed by the Somali, then Samburu. The 2009 report had the Borana as the majority, followed by Meru, then Turkana.
But Mugambi said the Meru community is still second largest after the Borana. He said the report is mischievous and could be used to deny community members their rightful share of resources and even jobs in the next 10 years. They called for a review of the figures to come up "with a more reasonable report that reflects the truth on the ground".
(Edited by F'Orieny)