Wajir East MP Rashid Kassim has urged the national government to get the figures right during the census.
The national exercise is slated to start on Saturday. It will go on for the next seven days.
Speaking on Friday at the border village of Handaki during a census sensitisation meeting, the MP said past headcount had been marred by inefficiencies.
Kassim said because of inaccuracies the national government had failed to capture the correct number of people.
"It is critically important for us to get the right and authentic population of our constituents and the country at large for better planning of resources and government interventions," the MP said.
"We have had assurances and reassurances from the national government and the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics officials that this time the exercise will be a success. They should back their words with actions.”
Kassim said it would be unfortunate for the census to end up being a sham.
The MP, whose constituency borders Somalia, said his biggest concern was security. He said for the exercise to succeed, there was a need for security chiefs to post more officers in border towns.
“The security team assured us that the comprehensive security plan will ensure the safety of not only the enumerators but also the whole community for successful census exercise,” Kassim said.
Kassim said that as leaders, they have done everything within their capacity, including talk shows on radio stations, to educate residents on the importance of census.
“We are asking anyone who has a relative out of the constituency in search of water and pasture to reach out to them to come back home to participate in the exercise."
Water chief officer Yussuf Dayib said his department has mobilised resources and set up temporary watering points for pastoralists who move out of the constituency due to the drought.
