Travellers keen on being counted in their rural homes jammed long-distance buses ahead of Saturday's census.
As early as 5am on Friday, hundreds of people had gathered in the CBD ready to catch their next bus to their rural homes.
At the Easy Coach Bus Terminus at Railways, 45 buses with at least 57 passenger seats each had left the station by noon.
Parking attendant Paul Kariuki said around 15 buses leave the station on a normal day. He said the influx has been experienced since Wednesday.
Easy Coach buses normally travel to Kisumu, Kakamega, Kapsabet, Malaba, Rongo and Homa Bay.
Kariuki on Saturday they will close at exactly 5pm on Saturday to take part in the census.
At the Machakos Country Bus station, it was almost impossible to walk through the station at 8am as passengers flocked the area.
However, when the Star visited the station before midday, most lanes of the buses were empty an indication that city dwellers had left the city ahead of census.
Driver Simon Njuguna said most passengers, especially those travelling far like early morning hours.
Drivers said there was no hike of bus fares despite the number of passengers increasing. Most vehicles using the routes of Nakuru, Nanyuki, Isiolo, Kirinyaga, Embu and Kiambu did not experience a passenger influx.
Just a day from the national exercise, the Kenya National Association of the Deaf wants deaf people included in enumerators team, raising concerns of possible isolation.
Chairman Nickson Gikiri said they have written several letters to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics asking to meet over how to ensure accurate data of the deaf is collected "but were not given an audience".
"The deaf are going to be shocked when they see the census people. They do not know anything about the census," Washington Akaranga from the Kenya Signs Language Research project said.
He said most of them were left out in the 2009 exercise.
They are concerned disabled persons will be left out given that enumerators will be conducting the process at night.
"They won't hear a knock on the door. How will they know that the enumerators are at the door?" Gikiri asked.
He further said it is easier for a deaf person to help their fellows than any other person because of an understanding that exists amongst them.
The Kenya Signs Language also said not all deaf can read and write. This means that they will need an interpreter for the questionnaires to avoid misinformation.
Margaret Odhiambo, a teacher and a member of KSL, said there are those who are deaf and blind. "We need a deaf person who knows where the deaf live. They are also Kenyans who need assistance," she said.
The two organisations spoke to the press at the University of Nairobi.
Edited by R.Wamochie
