County commissioner warns residents against obstructing census

Makueni County Commissioner Maalim Mohammed has warned residents against obstructing the ongoing national census.
Maalim said the government will take stern action against those found to be sabotaging the exercise.
The county commissioner’s warning comes barely a day after an enumerator was attacked and injured Wednesday evening by a 25- year -old man at Manyatta village in Makindu sub county.
The man identified as Ouko Wambua allegedly assaulted Mary Kibue, an enumerator, after she arrived at their house for the exercise. Her tablet was also damaged during the attack.
Maalim said the attacker will be charged with malicious damage and assault once investigations are complete.
“The culprit will be prosecuted accordingly, we will not allow anybody to interrupt the ongoing census in any way,” he stressed.
Accordingly, the county commissioner assured the enumerators of their security for the remaining days. “The security officers will work closely with the enumerators to guarantee their safety during the days left before the end of the census,” he added.
The county commissioner who was speaking Thursday during a monitoring exercise for the census in Makindu and Kibwezi sub counties reminded the enumerators not to tamper with the data collected.
“The enumerators should work up to 10 pm for the remaining days and ensure that the data collected is submitted to the server in Nairobi by midnight every day,” he said.
Maalim appealed to leaders to desist from politicizing the exercise and urged all residents to ensure that they are counted before the deadline.
“We ask residents to participate in this important national exercise and ensure they fully cooperate with census officials and that they have been counted,” added the county commissioner.
By Roselyne Kavoo