The national population and housing census numbers are out and politicians have hijacked the results with all manner of claims, accusations and counter-accusations.
But these numbers are not for political expediency but rather proper planning. The government should examine and interrogate them to plan accordingly.
That will ensure wider access to affordable decent housing, quality education, quality healthcare, decent jobs, proper infrastructure and policies that affect our lives.
Therefore, politicians should cease and desist from whipping up emotions in that the numbers are not true — unless they conducted parallel census and can prove their baseless claims.
As regards population patterns in rural areas, the healthcare question begs for an answer — whether awareness on family planning is readily available there.
The Ministry of Health is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the national budget.
We expect the citizenry to be enlightened through community health volunteers (CHVs) on reproductive health services. Let the government motivate CHVs.
Stephen Mbaya Kimwele, Kitui
The release of the census results means the government should now focus on development projects that aim at improving the living standards of Kenyans.
The 47.6 million people need quality sanitation, healthcare, employment and education in order to realise Vision 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals.
With the increase in population by nine million from the previous 37.6 million, the government ought to plan accordingly to ensure that every Kenyan benefits from the taxes they pay.
The State should allocate funds properly to the county governments to spur development in the grassroots.
Nechesa Suleiman, Nairobi
The census results have faced a lot of criticism from political leaders and the public alike. However, the figures are estimated, and, in estimation, there is a margin for error.
What the leaders and the public should do now is focus on how to minimise errors in future censuses by investing substantially in civic education.
The 2019 census was Kenya’s most successful ever since, being digitally conducted, there were few cases of mishaps reported — unlike in the past censuses.
The census results shouldn’t be linked to the 2022 elections. It is a diabolical habit among politicians to, instead of using census results to guide equitable resource sharing and allocation, use them to hunt for votes.
They have no interest of the citizens at heart; they often see ‘Wanjiku’ as votes, which is an infelicitous state of affairs.
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