MPs from pastoral areas now want census delayed over droughts that pushed herders away

NAIROBI—Legislators from Northern Kenya now want the  State to delay upcoming national census, saying nomads have moved away from their homes in search of water and pasture.

The legislators met Thursday in Nairobi to create awareness on the drought in the region which, they said, would affect turn out.

“Since the failure of April—May rains in over 10 counties, there is serious scarcity of water, food and pasture for the people and their livestock,” Aden Duale, the chairman of the Pastoral Parliamentary Group, said.

He added that the herders, “crossed inter counties and across the borders to Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania and South Sudan in search of water and pasture.”

The group appealed to the  National, County Governments and international donors to come to the aid of the people affected by the drought by providing food, water trucking, livestock off take programme.

“We discussed the coming census via the National drought in our regions and asked the Kenya Kenya National Bureau of Statistics to consider more time allocated to the census in our region,” Duale added.

Kenya is set to hold its six national census next month. For the first time, the enumeration process will be paperless because data will be captured using tablets. 

KNBS Director General Mr Zachary Mwangi previously said that the use of technology during the enumeration process will shorten the time taken to release preliminary results, which would be three months after the completion of enumeration.

The legislators believe that if the national exercise goes ahead next month, the pastoral communities will miss the counting since herders move with animals to areas where it had rained better.

In Masalani, Wajir West and South herders have crossed into the Coast, Lower Juba in Somalia and Isiolo County respectively.

The MPs similarly lauded the president for appointing Ukur Yattani from Marsabit as acting Finance minister.