The ongoing Enhanced Single Registry (ESR) data collection exercise in West Pokot County is targeting to capture 65,971 households estimated to be poor or vulnerable.
According to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics recent report, 70 per cent of West Pokot households are deemed poor and vulnerable hence the call for Census Registration Approach (CRA) in the data collection.
Speaking during a stakeholders’ sensitization meeting held in Kapenguria Town on Tuesday, County Director for Social Protection Charles Nerimah said there are 318 enumerators and 32 supervisors participating in the exercise that is also taking place in other target counties such as Murang’a, Migori, Laikipia, Kitui, Kwale, Kisii, Narok, Tharaka Nithi, Baringo and Kilifi.
Nerimah revealed that the second week of the CRA exercise has seen 28 per cent of the households already uploaded in an exercise that will take 21 days.
He noted that the enumeration exercise was moving on well with no cases of resistance from the residents of the vast county.
The coordinator however pointed out that there were minor challenges arising from unsteady mobile phone networks forcing the enumerators to wait for longer hours making them to even work during odd hours in order to upload the data.
“This challenge is being experienced in areas of North Pokot Sub County which is vast and with poor network coverage. Our census staff are moving from house to house to capture data from those willing to be registered into the ESR thus I call upon the residents to volunteer accurate information,” said Nerimah.
He called on the residents to collaborate with the enumerators who have been adequately trained to pursue the exercise reiterating that the data will be very essential in enhancing social protection in future.
“Once this socio-economic database is created, it will be made available by just a click of a button to any organisation dealing in social protection unlike before when they have to incur a lot trying to find information whenever they want to roll out any welfare programme,” added the coordinator.
Chairing the meeting on behalf of the West Pokot County Commissioner, Kapenguria Assistant County Commissioner Emily Ogolla said there was support from concerned sectors asking the department conducting the exercise to liaise with other stakeholders for the success of the programme.
It was pinpointed in the meeting that some residents in the Pokot North region have previously missed out on social protection programmes because of lacking valid documentations.
By Richard Muhambe
