Kenyans have been urged to always endeavor to give accurate information to survey staff in a bid to enable the government make sound growth oriented policies leading to better service delivery.
Nyeri County Commissioner, Fredrick Shisia said good decision making and performance of all sectors of the country’s economy required accurate and quality statistics.
Speaking today in Nyeri Town during this year’s African Statistics Day Celebrations, Shisia said all government undertakings depended on available statistical data and information.
In order to ensure the government made growth oriented plans, Shisia said it was essential for every citizen to provide accurate information when called upon through surveys conducted by agencies charged with that responsibility.
He said all key macro and micro-economic variables including inflation, savings and investments, employment, poverty and social outcome indicators are based on statistics.
The Commissioner nonetheless called on data collectors to respect cultures and traditions of communities in the execution of their mandate to avoid creating conflicts.
He for instance said some communities are not comfortable counting children as it is deemed as a sign of bad omen, saying this called for a balancing act in ensuring the data collected is credible and that cultural beliefs are respected.
At the same time, Shisia called on Nyeri residents to take part in an upcoming exercise on urban centers and market surveys.
He said the data will go a long way in informing decisions aimed at improving service delivery to area residents as well as know key area where mores resources need to be channeled.
The day according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) is celebrated on November 18 every year to increase awareness on the important role statistics play in all aspects of social-economic development in Africa.
County Statistics Officer, Pius Ng’ang’a said the awareness provides an opportunity to advocate for relevance, systematic and increased use of statistics.
The theme for this year’s celebration was, “High quality official statistics to ensure transparency, good governance and inclusive development,” anchored on the critical role statistics play in underpinning growth and better lives.
By Samuel Waititu
