The Ford Kenya leadership has urged the government to ensure unemployed youths are given priority to serve as enumerators in the forthcoming national census.
Party leader Moses Wetang’ula and secretary general Eseli Simiyu said those charged with recruiting enumerators seem to be preferring people who already have jobs.
Speaking at the party headquarters in Nairobi, Wetang’ula said the census process is delicate and requires total confidence and approval from all Kenyans.
"It is unfortunate that as recruitment for the census is going on, so many employed people have applied for leave to participate in the exercise yet we have many educated and jobless youths who can do the work,” he said.
Youths across the country have been calling on the Jubilee administration to ensure the jobless are given priority during recruitment.
Over 130, 000 enumerators will be recruited for the exercise.
The Bungoma Senator said that the census report will be very critical for government planning and allocation of funds for the various regions.
“This exercise is very dear to our lives. The results will determine our portion from the government and for that reason, no one should be left behind,” he urged.
Eseli said there are so many unemployed but well-educated youths who should be considered every time such opportunities arise.
Elgeyo Marakwet county Governor Alex Tolgos has told all county government staff not to apply for job opportunities related to the upcoming census.
Tolgos directed all the civil servants in the county to keep off the jobs saying their services will be required as usual at their respective duty stations throughout the period.
There will be a series of training forums for the successful applicants ahead of the exercise scheduled to begin from August 24.
Opportunities available include Information and Communication Technology ICT managers, content supervisors and enumerators.
The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) has assured the public that preparations for 2019 Population and Housing Census are proceeding well and as scheduled.
Director general Zachary Mwangi said that newer technology will be used for the exercise to conform to new global standards.
The exercise will be paperless and a computer programme to be used has already been designed.
Moi University and the Jomo Kenya University of Agriculture and Technology will assemble 164,700 data-capture devices at the cost of Sh15,000 each.
The census will capture agricultural activities, a component that was not captured in the 2009 census.
(edited by O. Owino)
