Barely two days after Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i announced that all bars in the country would remain closed as from 5 pm to allow smooth census exercise, PS Karanja Kibicho has announced new schedules for the exercise.
Addressing the press, Kibicho stated that the order to close bars at 5 pm ended on Sunday and that as from Monday, August 26, all bars will be running their business as usual.
Kibicho also announced that the tallying hours will start from 6 am and end at 10 pm, compared to the usual 6 pm starting hour.
The PS added that every enumerator is expected to have visited at least 100 households by the close of the exercise on August 31. On a daily basis, enumerators are expected to visit at least 14 households each.
INTERIOR PS Kibicho says order to close bars at 5pm ended yesterday; census to continue from 6am to 10pm until Saturday. pic.twitter.com/9mfqPPMuwW
— CapitalFM Breaking News (@BreakingNewsKE) August 26, 2019
Kibicho’s announcement comes at a time many Kenyans had taken to their social media to express displeasure over an order by Matiang’i to close al bars from 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday, to allow for the smooth conduct of the national population and housing census.
The reactions had ranged from serious to hilarious with many wondering why they should be forced to stay at home for two nights even after they had been counted.
Interior PS Kibicho announces extension of census duration from 6am to 10pm, says bars and entertainment joints to operate normally.
— Ali 'Mwamvita' Manzu (@Ali_Manzu) August 26, 2019
Kenyans’ frustrations had also been echoed by a section of leaders who felt that the move would affect businesses. Nominated Senator Millicent Omanga termed the move as unwarranted, unjustifiable and punitive to business people, as well as to lovers and admirers of booze.
“Being a weekend, and an end month to boot, it’s a tradition for folks to while away time in drinking parlours thanking their bodies for a job well done as well as catching up with buddies to canvass important matters and trending topics. To keep these favourite joints under lock and key means businesses will harvest massive losses and therefore they’ll have no cash to pay their employees, suppliers and landlords,” the senator said on her Facebook page.
Kibicho’s extension of working hours is expected to help in having all Kenyans counted, as well as solving some insecurity issues that had already been reported in some parts of the country owing to the limited working night hours.
After the hospitality industry lost Billions in two days.
— #BuyerBeware (@JacksonNjeru254) August 26, 2019
Matiangi cannot stop reggae.😅 pic.twitter.com/MFrsAKmMBJ
— mkalla mwambodze (@mmkalla) August 22, 2019