MPs vow to block planned repeat census

Northern Kenya MPs have vowed to mobilise their constituents against a planned repeat census in the region.

The MPs, led by Northern Kenya Development minister Mohammed Elmi and Deputy Speaker Farah Maalim, claimed that the plan was a ploy to reduce the number of constituencies in the region.

They termed the repeat census “unnecessary and illegal”.

“We will not accept any longer to be treated as second class citizens. There will be no repeat census. If you want to repeat it, you’ll repeat it for the whole of Kenya,” said Mr Maalim, who read the statement on behalf of the MPs during a press conference at Parliament Buildings in Nairobi.

MPs present at the press conference were assistant ministers Aden Duale (Livestock Development), Josephat Nanok (Forestry), Mohamed Mahamud (Energy) and MPs Rachel Shebesh and Wilson Litole.

Cancelled results

They asked President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga to stop the Planning ministry from repeating the census.

The results for eight districts in northern Kenya were cancelled because of unusual men-women ratios and a huge divergence from the projected figures.

There was also concern that the number of Kenyan Somalis had more than doubled from 800,000 in 1999 to 2.3 million in 10 years, creating fear that some had crossed over from Somalia.

The affected districts are Lagdera, Wajir East, Mandera Central, Mandera East, Mandera West, Turkana Central, Turkana North and Turkana South.

Planning minister Wycliffe Oparanya said at the release of the 2009 census results that the rate of increase in those areas could not be supported by birth and death rates.

Men outnumbered women three to one and there was a large number of men above 35 who were not married, whereas in most cases, there is a balance or women are slightly more.

The Treasury has released Sh400 million to cater for the repeat census.

“This has never been brought to Cabinet and I have written to Oparanya about it and said I’d break with collective responsibility and go against it,” said Mr Elmi.

He said it would not be technically possible to have a repeat census  and the ministry would be in defiance of a court injunction if it went ahead with the count.

Mr Elmi said the revision of population figures would lead to a revision of the controversial report of the defunct Interim Independent Boundaries Review Commission and create a crisis.