KOT raise red flag on census after Wajir 'fraud' exposed

#WajirCensusFraud was the top trend on Twitter on Tuesday after Kenyans raised the red flag over the authenticity of the ongoing census process.

KOT criticised the credibility of the entire census process after an enumerator was found to have registered 600 households instead of the required number which is 100 households.

This, they believe is part of a scheme by politicians to inflate population figures in their regions for political gains, particularly in areas that are sparsely populated.

This comes a day after two chiefs and an assistant in Wajir were arrested after being linked with the census fraud.

"Those altering the numbers in Wajir East, Eldas and Tarbaj are after own political interests,"@bosiboriviews said.

@kiilundeti asked, "The question is, can we ever get anything right as Kenyans?"

"Confirming the arrest of the two chiefs, the Wajir county commissioner Lyford Kibaara said they were involved in inflating the numbers in respective locations, we hope that DCI will take decisive action against such government officials breaking the law," @phelixochola said.

@IFarmajo said,"Eldas MP gave some cash to university and colleges students who are not from his constituency before the census. He held for them a come together lunch in KICC and Sir Ali Muslim club took their details and that's how you might find yourself counted in Eldas."

"How can a thatched house contain 300 people, is it a school?" Ogona Joseph said.

The writer Tony said, "The whole census thing was based on a fraud. Recruitment was fraudulent with public servants and their kids getting the jobs. Government asking unconstitutional questions in census makes the whole thing a fraud. Not surprised by the fraud in Wajir."

"Eldas Mp gave some cash to university and colleges students who are not from his constituency be4 census. He held for them a come 2getha lunch in KICC and Sir Ali Muslim club took their details and that's how you might find yourself counted in Eldas," Ismail Farmajo said.

Trish Mativo tweeted, "We are all acting as if everything is going on well, but in reality, we know there is fraud involved."

"It will be good if one of these fine days, as a country we have a process that is totally honest, transparent and accountable," Digital Midfielder tweeted.

The Master Boy said, "Innocent people are being displaced all for the sake of cooking of figures Wajir leaders especially those of Eldas, Tarbaj and Wajir east should be arrested."

In the last census held in 2009, North Eastern Kenya recorded a major increase in its population from 962,143 people in 1999 to 2.3 million in 2009.

This raised serious concerns, with the government now assuring that actual data will be released three months after the conclusion of the exercise that closes on Saturday.

 Measures put in place include the use of a locally assembled software to curb any infiltration while the Government has created a special network to ensure no other device is used to transmit data.

Local and international observers are also taking part in the national exercise.

“We are very sure that also the quality of the data is only coming from our own sources,” ICT Cabinet Secretary Joseph Mucheru said during a press conference at the beginning of the exercise undertaken by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).

More: