Statistics agency complains of low response by Kenyans during survey

The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) has complained of low response rate from Kenyans when collecting data used in country’s development, planning and distribution of national resources.

Nyeri County KNBS director, Peter Kamau has attributed the apathy to lack of awareness on the agency’s mandate and knowledge on importance of the data.

Speaking during celebrations of Africa Statistics Day in Nyeri town, which residents snubbed and was marked by low key attendance, Mr Kamau said there were individuals who do not fill questionnaires while others give incorrect information.

“The data we collect from the public is filed in a report that is used by government to plan on development and distribution of resources. Kenyans are very reluctant to respond to questions from our officers which affects findings of our final report,” said Mr Kamau.

Planning and Statistics Principal Secretary Saitoti Torome called for quality and timely data.

In his speech read by Nyeri Deputy County Commissioner Thomas Samkei, Mr Torome announced that the country has ratified the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that succeeded the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

“High quality statistics are critical in the regional integration and economic transformation. They help in design of development programmes, informing policy, monitoring and evaluation and forecasting future trends,” added the PS.

This year KNBS did surveys on micro-small and medium enterprises to establish impact of small businesses to the country’s economy, Information Communication Technology, Integrated household budget survey among others whose findings are yet to be released.