Friday, February 14, 2025
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Nullification of 2019 Population Count in 3 Counties Challenged

UPDATE: Lawyer Lempaa Suyianka and activist Kenneth Njagi have moved to the  Court of Appeal to challenge High Court decision that cancelled 2019 Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) census results for Wajir, Mandera, and Garissa counties.


Earlier, the High Court in Garissa annulled the 2019  (KNBS) Census results for Mandera, Wajir, and Garissa counties.

In a ruling delivered on January 28, the court cited significant irregularities as to why it quashed the 2019 Census.

The Court found that the KNBS failed to uphold fundamental data integrity standards during the 2019 census leading to inaccurate population figures for the affected areas.

As a result, the court ordered the KNBS to conduct a fresh mini census in the affected areas within one year. The results of this exercise will be used to determine the accurate population figures for resource allocation, boundary delimitation, and other administrative purposes.

Census to Be Conducted in Mandera, Wajir & Garissa Counties
Garissa Governor Nathif Adam. PHOTO/Adam

High Court Orders Fresh Census in 3 Counties

The impact of the Judgement is that all constitutional bodies including Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission are barred from using the disputed data census for official purposes.

Besides IEBC, other institutions that were barred include the National Treasury, the Commission on Revenue Allocation, from relying on the disputed 2019 census results.

Until the fresh mini census is conducted, these institutions are directed to use the 2009 census results for their operations.

The ruling delivered by Justice J.N. Onyiego came after a protracted legal battle initiated by political leaders and county governments from the Northeastern region, who contested the 2019 census results, claiming that the population figures were grossly underreported.


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In addition, petitioners argued that the inaccurate results would negatively impact resource allocation, political representation, and boundary delimitation in the region.

The dispute arose after the KNBS released the 2019 census results in November 2019, showing a significant drop in population figures for several constituencies in Mandera, Wajir, and Garissa counties.

Petitioners argue that KNBS data was manipulated

The petitioners, including Members of Parliament and county governors, alleged that the results were manipulated, leading to a drastic reduction in population numbers that did not reflect the actual demographic trends in the region.

Furthermore, they argued that the population in the affected areas had been on an upward trajectory since independence, with high fertility rates, low family planning awareness, and high levels of polygamy.

They claimed that the 2019 results were inconsistent with these demographic indicators and that the KNBS had failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for the sudden decline.


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In his ruling, Justice Onyiego noted that the petitioners had raised valid concerns about the integrity of the 2019 census results.

The court found that the KNBS had failed to comply with a court order to allow scrutiny of the census devices and servers used during the enumeration process.

On its part, the KNBS had claimed that the devices had been reconfigured and disposed of, making it impossible to verify the data.

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Census to Be Conducted in Mandera, Wajir & Garissa Counties
Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi. PHOTO/Abdullahi

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Michael Owino

Mr. Michael Owino is a Multimedia journalist and Voice Over artist with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication. He strives to bring stories to life through a variety of mediums. His primary interests lie in Technology and other human-interest stories. He can be reached at michael.owino@thekenyatimes.com

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