Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i has said the government will not revise its scheduled time for the census exercise.
Matiang'i expressed his apology to football fanatics who had expressed their disappointment by the government's directive to close bars and entertainment places on Saturday night.
The exercise will coincide with one of the biggest matches in the English Premier League calendar pitting Arsenal vs Liverpool.
Kenyan football fans had suggested that bars and entertainment spots where they normally watch their games should be closed by 10 pm and not at 5pm for them to watch the EPL match.
" You can also watch Liverpool and Arsenal play at home with your family. Maybe they will have a chance which they rarely have of watching a football match with you," Matiang'i said.
He made the remarks on Thursday as the government briefed the country on the upcoming census exercise.
"I am sorry for the inconvenience caused. We have to carry out the census. We will not revise the decision," Matiang'i added.
The CS had said on Wednesday that all bars will be closed on Saturday from 5 pm in order to ensure that people are at their houses when the exercise starts.
The national census will start on the nights of Saturday 24/25 and take a week, ending on August 31.
Outdoor sleepers, persons on transit, individuals in hotels and lodges, and institutions such as hospitals and prisons will all be counted.
All those on duty on Saturday evening such as nurses, doctors, watchmen will be counted with the household even though they will absent.
