The National Treasury wants August 26 declared a public holiday to allow Kenyans to participate in the National Housing and Population Census.
This comes as acting Treasury CS Ukur Yatani confirmed writing to the Ministry of Education to extend the reopening of schools for the third term by a week to allow for the exercise.
“We are seeking to have Monday, August 26, declared a public holiday for us to be able to every Kenyan to be fully enumerated in this exercise,” Yatani said.
He said he has already written to Interior CS Fred Matiang'i to gazette the day a public holiday.
The CS spoke when he appeared before the Senate Finance and Budget committee alongside Kenya National Bureau of Statistics director general Zachary Mwangi.
The committee had invited him to brief them on the status of the preparations of the exercise, which kicks off on the night of August 24 and 25.
The invitation followed the request of a statement by nominated Senator Victor Prengei on government’s preparedness for the exercise.
Yatani is of the view that the exercise will be disrupted if the school reopening is not extended.
The schools are expected to reopen on August 27 for the third term. The CS said there will be a serious challenge if the schools reopen as planned.
“We have made a proposal to the Ministry of Education so that the reopening of the schools is moved after August 31. Hopefully, the offer will be granted,” Yatani said.
Senators had expressed doubts on the exercise, saying it could echo the 2009 one where the data was interfered with.
“In 2009, after the census was done, the minister went back and told us that he was smoothening the numbers which to me was rigging,” Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang'ula said.
He claimed some communities had colluded with enumerators and falsified their numbers, hence counties are getting resources that do not match with their numbers.
But director general Mwangi assured the committee of the integrity of the exercise saying the institution will leverage on technology to ensure the exercise is conducted as per expected global standards.
“It will incorporate the use of data collection tablets that have been locally assembled at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and Moi University,” he said.
The committee faulted KNBS for failing to conduct proper publicity for the exercise that is merely three weeks away.
“You have not done enough in terms of publicity. People should by now be talking about the census. If there is no proper mobilisation for the exercise the quality and integrity of the data will be affected,” Nominated Senator Isaac Mwaura said.
Yatani said publicity was a genuine concern and announced that a consortium of media houses has been identified and it will be launched on Friday.
“We have talked to the President to launch the roadmap to the census on Friday because we want to make the best use of the remaining days,” the CS said.
Edited by R.Wamochie
