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{
    "id": 927781,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/927781/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 308,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kitui Central, WDM-K",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Makali Mulu",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1955,
        "legal_name": "Benson Makali Mulu",
        "slug": "benson-makali-mulu"
    },
    "content": "so that we get the right statistics which will help the country for the next almost 10 years in planning. That is why it is important that this amendment Bill provides for separating the role of the secretariat from the role of board members. In any country where things function properly, the truth of the matter is the work of a board is to provide strategic direction of any organisation while the work of the secretariat is to implement the strategic issues raised by the board and implement them as they move forward to make sure that the organisation functions properly. That is why I like the idea of having a Bill where the work of the Director-General of KNBS is clearly stated and the work of the board is clearly stated. As we engage in this important national exercise, we do not have gaps of who is supposed to perform a certain role. That is very important. Another important issue I want to mention is national official statistics. In the country, even though we know it is the KNBS which is supposed to officially generate national statistics, there are cases when you quote them people question whether the data makes sense. Time has come, even as we approve this amendment Bill, that as a country we need to make sure that the KNBS becomes the source of official statistics so that any time you quote it, it is an authority in statistics. For them to reach that level, they have no choice but to make sure that they use scientific methodologies to collect their data. That is critical and that is why I urge my colleagues to approve the amendments so that we give this important national institution the legal support. It will make it easy. I am the Chair of a caucus in the House called Evidence-Informed Oversight and Decision-Making. Any time we interact, one of the questions we grapple with is the source of official statistics. Kenyans want a one-point-call so that when I run to such an institution, I can get all the data I want of the country for purposes of my planning. So, I encourage Members to support the Bill. Another proposal that we should support is the introduction of penalties. If you go against the norms of collecting data, and you publicise the data in the country, you should be penalised because data is very important in making decisions. I am imaging the review of our boundaries. We know very well that it is going to be based on population numbers. Imagine a situation where someone gives us wrong figures and at the end, we do not carry out the exercise correctly. You will be misleading Kenyans on which ward needs to be moved or which constituency needs to have an extra ward and such kind of reorganisation. It is very important we make sure that through this Bill we get the right data. There is division of our resources. In this country, as we share the national revenue, there is a lot of data required at the national level and county level. There are a number of parameters that are considered for allocation of resources. The parameters have to do with the number of geographical size, population size, poverty levels and many others. These parameters can only be known when we have statistics. That is why statistics is very important. That is why you hear everybody in Kenya agreeing that the 2009 population census seems to have led to a number of issues in terms of the data collected. Other than counting and collating the information, there is the theoretical framework which underpins the data. When you look at the 2009 demographics, from a theoretical perspective, those who research in that area, it was not making any sense. That is why even as we collect data, there must be an underpinning theoretical framework so that the data agrees with international frameworks of data collection. As I conclude, I support my colleagues who have said that it is important that the exercise to be conducted in August is carried out in a very fair and transparent manner. As we speak, The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}