Matiangi Closes Bars On Saturday And Sunday For Census

On Wednesday the 22nd of August, Fred Matiangi, the Interior Cabinet Secretary announced that bars will be closed on Saturdays and Sundays over the National census period this weekend. He shared that the closure will be effective from 5 pm to 6 am on both Saturday and Sunday to enable the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) officials to conduct the census.

In a public statement, Matiangi urged the public to be at their homes over the weekend so that everything can proceed as planned. He insisted by saying “So please be available in your house on Saturday to ensure you are counted. That is why we will have all the social places especially bars closed from 5 pm so that we give everyone an ample time to be home by 6 pm when enumerators will be coming to count you.”

To expel any rumors, Matiangi made it clear that there will be no public holiday on the Monday after the exercise.“Do not be the kind of people who look for the small opportunities to go and have fun. Why do you need a public holiday, yet we will be counting from Saturday night from 6 o’clock and on Sunday same time? Since independence, we have never had a holiday during census. ”

KNBS will for the first time conduct a paperless census which will also see intersex persons enumerated, following the introduction of a third gender marker. The census will be the first one under the enactment of a new constitution in 2010. So there you have it. Buy your alcohol by Friday night and drink from home over the weekend as you wait to be counted or forgotten especially if you live in a super marginalized area.