I DON'T WANT TO BE ANOTHER (CENSUS) STATISTICS

I am seated down here thinking about the recently announced population census. Don't get me wrong. But I feel (for reasons I have an explanation for, and won't explain anyway) it is an exercise in futility. I have never seen, felt or heard of any change happen. I have already seen three census (es) and I still doubt the intentions behind this exercise. When the results were announced, I was as usual feeling skeptical about the whole issue. Now I have reasons for this. Some I can't explain (not today) and since I am so bad at keeping promises I won't promise a thing, okay?

I am so happy I have gotten (is there such a word?) that off my chest, I can go on with my life and tell you what I meant to say today. I don't for some reasons care that much about the census. At my age I have seen enough census (es) being carried out in our country. I am saying 'seen' because come to thin of it, I don't remember taking part in any. And due to this I have always doubted the intentions (though they say they need it for planning purposes) behind carrying out a census.

But I am, at the same time wise and old enough, to know they want to know how many people have been born (and died perhaps) during a specific time of period and to be specific, after every ten years. The first time I was ever going to participate in a census, our family waited, we collectively held our breath, waiting for the numerators to come. But they never came. Imagine, there we were (we were not yet teenagers) waiting for the knock that never came. The following morning we arrived at school with nothing to share with those children who had been counted during the previous night. We felt so bad, so neglected, so left out.

The explanation the authorities gave, for their failure not to add as to the census was that they had assumed it had been done by guys from the other side of the border. Granted, our home is on the border of two districts. At times we benefit from both sides. But when we fail to gain anything from both sides, it hurts.

That is when I started doubting the intentions behind the whole census issue. Besides, every time they do this you don't see the prices of basic commodities like bread, milk, sugar, floor and other foodstuffs going down. It is like they just want to do it to make use of the funds meant for that duty.

In 1989, if they were to give the results (I don't think they did) of the census they I am very sure (at least about our case) the government didn't submit the correct number. They had left eight people. Three grown ups (our mother, grandparents and my siblings). The numerators never came to our homestead.

In 1999, they counted us. Iit still didn’t make any impact on me. I had just finished high school and I was very skeptical about being regarded as a statistic)

This year (2010) I was not at home in Nairobi. I had gone to the central province for four days. I remember the person we had gone to visit asked for our names. He reassured us that he would give the numerators our full names. Not that I doubt this. What I doubt is whether the old man remembered to give our full names. In any case I cared less. I was a Kenyan and that is what matters most.

When I came back to Nairobi, my neighbour told me that a lady (doing the numeration) had left me a note. I opened the door and found a note with her number. I was so delighted, not because I was looking forward to being asked a few questions and getting in the government's records, no no.

I just wanted to meet the girl and have a cup of coffee with her. I called and she agreed to come by in the morning, to count me. Long story short, this never materialized. And though I met her, a week later, we kept smiling at each other like a pair of besotted penguins (by the way, I don't know what this means, so don't ask!)

Months after the census was over we started hearing about the frustrations of those who had carried out the exercise. The government was yet to pay them! People waited to hear about the results. When they finally came, many months after the census, they thought it was wise to classify people according to their tribes.

I can't pretend I know the motives behind the tribal classification but this much I know, I wasn't represented. Even those who have married and stayed married across the tribes feel tribal classification isn't the right way to go. There has been a lot of talk surrounding the whole issue of tribal classification. But one thing remains clear in my mind. That I still doubt the intentions behind the exercise. I will only stop, if after such an exercise they bring the prices of basic commodities down.

I won't until they do something about the so-called gap between the rich and the poor come closer (enough to wave at each other. By this I mean to say, I will doubt the intentions behind this exercise until I see the kind of results I can immediately identify with as a common Kenyan. I would like to see a country where when you meet someone they don't ask for your second name for the purposes of putting a tribal tag on you. I just want to be a human being, is that too much to ask for or expect?