Kenya Insights

Tag: census 2019

  • Court Nullifies Mandera, Wajir, Garissa 2019 Census Results: Orders Fresh Count

    Court Nullifies Mandera, Wajir, Garissa 2019 Census Results: Orders Fresh Count

    The Garissa High Court has nullified the 2019 Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) census results for Mandera, Wajir, and Garissa counties, citing significant irregularities in the process.

    Justice John Onyiengo has ordered the KNBS to conduct a fresh census within a year for the three counties.

    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.

    The cancellation is a big win for North Eastern leaders, led by then Garissa Senator the late Yusuf Haji (who died in 2021) and Mandera Governor Ali Roba, who sued KNBS, the National Treasury, Commission on Revenue Allocation, and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, arguing that the 2019 census results did not reflect actual population figures.

    Justice Onyiego further issued orders prohibiting constitutional bodies such as the IEBC, CRA, and the National Treasury from relying on or utilising in any other way Volume 1 of the published disputed 2019 KPHC results in sharing resources or determining boundary delimitation.

    “Before a fresh mini-census exercise as directed above is conducted, the CRA, IEBC and the National Treasury shall continue to apply the published census results of 2009 in executing their respective mandates in respect of the affected areas or sub-counties,” said the judge.

    He noted that the deployment of technology did not in any way jeopardise the outcome of the census.

    Justice Onyiego explained that because the results were not verified through scrutiny, the only viable option was to quash them.

    The ruling follows the consolidation of several petitions in the case of Hon Abdullahi Bashir Sheik and 24 others versus Kenya National Bureau of Statistics and four others.

    Former Mandera governor Ali Roba who also filed a case challenging the 2019 census results listed the actual enumerated results as opposed to the figures published by KNBS as follows

    • Mandera West – Actual Enumerated Population (318,146), KNBS Figures (98,300), Variance (-219,846)
    • Banisa – Actual Enumerated Population (315,144), KNBS Figures (152,598), Variance (-162,546)
    • Mandera South – Actual Enumerated Population (416,384), KNBS Figures (229,614), Variance (-186,770)
    • Lafey – Actual Enumerated Population (205,434), KNBS Figures (83,457), Variance (-121,977)
    • Mandera East – Actual Enumerated Population (279,599), KNBS Figures (159,638), Variance (-119,961)
    • Mandera North – Actual Enumerated Population (238,041), KNBS Figures (143,850), Variance (-94,191)
    • Total – Actual Enumerated Population (1,772,708), KNBS Figures (867,457), Variance (-905,291)

    The court was given a comparative analysis.

    [pdf-embedder url=”https://cms.kenyainsights.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Cencus-2019-Garissa-Constitutional-case-2025.pdf” title=”Cencus 2019 Garissa Constitutional case 2025″]

    Justice Onyiego ordered a fresh mini-population census in these areas within a year, meaning KNBS must complete the exercise by January 28, 2026.

  • The Cabinet Now Has The Power To Cancel Data Collected By The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), Including The Recent Census

    The Cabinet Now Has The Power To Cancel Data Collected By The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), Including The Recent Census

    The countries sixth national census that took place last month on the night of 24th can be canceled by the Cabinet following changes to the law a few days before the August 24 population count. The Cabinet now has the power to cancel data collected by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).

    Upon request by the Board, the Cabinet Secretary may with the approval of the Cabinet, cause any official statistical data collected, analysed and disseminated by the bureau to be cancelled, revised or adjusted after ascertaining that the data is not accurate,” states the new clause in the Statistics (Amendment) Act, 2019.

    Signed on August 14 by President Kenyatta, the amended law allows the Cabinet Secretary for Planning with the approval of the cabinet to revise, adjust or cancel the results of official data collected ranging from economic growth data and monthly inflation numbers to the census and  within fourteen days publish the official data that has been cancelled, revised or adjusted under sub-section (3), in the Gazette.

    KNBS, addressing the fears of  the implications of such a change in the law claims the law was not amended because of the census. “Amendments are normally for all statistics. This now gives the bureau a wider kind of a leeway within the legal framework so that we ensure we have accurate statistics,” KNBS director-general Zachary Mwangi said, also adding the bureau has many parameters used to ascertain the accuracy of data.

    KNBS had to reassure the public after analysts believe the timing of the law change was triggered by the anticipation of the August population census whose preliminary results will be released by the end of November.

    This new law welcomes the option to solve problems arising from numbers that get disputed. For instance, the 2009 population census results from certain zones in northern Kenya were highly suspicious prompting then Planning minister Wycliffe Oparanya (now Kakamega governor) to cancel them albeit after a long push and pull.

    In a country where data on population determines the allocation of cash from the Treasury to the counties. Numbers may get inflated for this reason looking to get certain counties more funds. The law will therefore be used to verify the numbers and determine whether they are accurate when any data is collected.