By NERIMA WAKO-OJIWA

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Ten years ago when we had our last census, I distinctly remember that it was early morning when the enumerator arrived at our home. I wondered how we would have a visitor at the house at that hour.

That morning I was getting ready for school when I was called downstairs to greet the visitor. Then the visitor asked me how I was, and said he just wanted to see that I really lived here. I remember thinking, what an odd question.

Here we are at another census and, just looking at the traffic in Nairobi or the masses of people who walk in the streets, it does not take a census to tell us that our numbers have increased. It is easily discernible.

I have mulled buying a motorcycle because having a car in Nairobi makes no sense. You have to sit for hours to travel just a few kilometres.

My life just feels so wasted in a traffic jam. Public transport is a pain and inconvenient.

But when I remember just how dangerous it is to ride in these roads, I snap back to reality. Now, I have to finding ways to beat this traffic.

The car stays, but we just have to become such early risers, and arriving at work before 7am has never been more satisfying.

CRUCIAL INFORMATION

If we were to give politicians a truth portion and ask, what is it about this census that is so important? It wouldn't be the rhetoric being advertised about housing and planning.

In this census, we are more curious to know which tribe is the majority. That is the real curiosity. The rest is the sugarcoat: "A good way to measure majority mode of transport, how many people are living with disabilities, how many are homeless or on average how many people live in a household."

This information is the crucial part of the data — the information our government seems to constantly lack.

Unfortunately, the past has shown us that censuses are used to collect information for political campaigns.

This is not unique to Kenya, though. The Kennedys were good at mapping to understand how a vote would be swayed in the America of the ‘60s. Even now, the US relies heavily on polls to measure how they think a vote will go. They are not perfect, however, and when blocs are tribal, it becomes a dangerous game of the haves and the havenots.

Election year after election year, voting in these blocs becomes more and more tense and we lose our senses for a few days.

Amnesty International Kenya recently said that it is not compulsory for people to share their identification numbers and that a census should be anonymous.

The fascinating part is the fact that the form asks whether you have obtained a Huduma number. Everyone should answer no to that question. I know enough people who stood in a line for hours, only to be told they would be contacted later with a number. So, no, nobody has a Huduma number.

USING RESEARCH DATA

If only we used research the way it is meant to be used.

Knowing the number of people living with disabilities and the services that need to be provided would be good; or whether the ones that exist need to be amplified.

Recently, in certain parts of town, they have started making ramps for people on wheelchair to be able to move. I have been to county offices that only have stairs. Well, they have a lift, but only for the VIP — when it is working.

There is one part of the census data that I will be keen to see, and that is how many people are unemployed, and how many of those are young.

That should shock the government into finding ways to plug into the minds of these youth rather than pretending that the issue is not so dire.

Nerima Wako-Ojiwa is executive director of Siasa Place. Twitter: @NerimaW