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Inside Sh18bn August census

mwangi

KNBS director-general Zachary Mwangi. FILE PHOTO | NMG

All households will be asked questions on their participation in the agricultural sector during next month’s census as the State seeks data on the sector that accounts for a third of gross domestic product.

Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) said Monday it had developed questions on the sector to set the stage for subsequent study on the industry.

Agriculture accounts for close to a third of Kenya’s annual economic output and its share of jobs are more than half of all workers when auxiliary sectors like manufacturing and retail are incorporated.

“We are introducing agriculture as a single set of question for the first time in our survey this year,” said KNBS director-general Zachary Mwangi.

“We will be seeking to know the area of agricultural holding operated by households and whether they do commercial or subsistence farming.”

The national census is expected to cost the taxpayer Sh18.5 billion with temporary staff being paid Sh4 billion. This is an increase of Sh10 billion from the last census.

The collection of population data that will start on the midnight of August 24 to August 25 and results will be ready in six months.

The survey will require 170,000 enumerators, 27,000 supervisors and 2,700 ICT supervisors, the agency said earlier.

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and Moi University are set to supply 164,700 tablets to conduct the exercise.

The tablets, set to cost the agency Sh470.5 million will be installed with a tracking software, questionnaires and area maps.