• Gabow says in the last census they missed out big and this time they don’t want the same mistake repeated
• He says they do not want the population of Garissa county exaggerated as alleged by some quarters
Image: STEPHEN ASTARIKO
Leaders from Garissa have urged the government to capture data of pastoralists who cross over to neighbouring countries and counties in next month's census.
County assembly majority leader Mohammed Gabow said in the last census, most pastoralists who had moved out of their homes in search of water and pasture were left out.
“During the last census we missed out big and this time we don’t want the same mistake repeated,” he said.
Gabow spoke on Saturday at the sidelines of a one-day workshop to educate the members of the county assembly on the need to support population issues.
“We want the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) to employ enough personnel who are able to face the challenges of poor terrain, insecurity and other challenges and move to interior to count our people,” he said.
Gabow said if the entire population of Garissa was well-captured in the last census, area leaders could now be pushing for the splitting of the county into two.
He said they do not want the population of Garissa county to be exaggerated as alleged by some quarters.
Jarajila MCA Mahat Osman said it will be unfortunate if the population of the county and that region is not well documented.
In the 2009 census, the KNBS went to court to contest the housing and population census of Mandera county.
The MCA said as it stands, distribution of resources in the country is based on the population and accuracy when counting people is important so that every region can get its rightful share of the national cake.
Meanwhile, National Council for Population and Development (NCPD) assistant director Francis Kondu has said they will promote quality life among Kenyans and not family planning as is being claimed by some leaders and communities.
He said the council has been engaging leaders from theGarissa on population matters and how to demystify the notion that family planning and use of contraceptives "mean the same thing".
“Family planning is a form of population control and is being used by other communities to plan their families, but its not the only method of family control. In any way, we are not saying that people should stop multiplying but have children that you can manage,” Kondu said.
He was reacting to claims that the council is promoting family planning through the use of contraceptives among women.
Nominated MCA Fatuma Khalif said Muslim women are strongly opposed to the use of contraceptives as a form of family planning, adding that it is against their faith.