The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) is conducting a Census of Establishments 2017. This is a statistical activity undertaken to collect comprehensive information on the profile and structure of the economy and business activities.
The Census aims at investigating the economic activity and structure of establishments at the National and County levels. The information obtained from the Census will be used for revamping the business register, called the Masterfile, which is a sampling frame for conducting various establishment based surveys.
The Census will help produce a comprehensive and updated data profile of all economic activities practiced by establishments operating in Kenya, provide details for the establishments’ characteristics, e.g. geographical location, number of employees, registration status, legal status, ownership.
The Census will also help produce data necessary to classify establishments according to size into micro, small, medium, large and very large, and the Business Register will be utilized in carrying out future economic sample surveys and creating a comprehensive database and Geographic Information System (GIS) of the business community in Kenya.
The census covers large firms /Establishments of individual proprietorships that fall under Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing, Privately owned establishments in all other economic activities, Establishments of national and county public and private entities, and International agencies. This census excludes all the Embassies.
The Census of Establishments will commence in January 2017 and run till July 2017. Confidentiality of data collected is guaranteed under the Statistics Act, 2006. The survey personnel are under oath and will not divulge any information on individual enterprise to a third party. The personnel will carry KNBS identification badges and Census of Establishments 2017 Introduction letter.
The Census of Establishments will be administered through Computer Aided Personal Interviewer (CAPI) questionnaires. These are specially designed to be quicker and easier to administer using tablets. The Research Assistants will be required to record the answers to each question as provided by the respondent. Each questionnaire will cover one establishment/ enterprise.
The census is governed by the provision of the Statistics Act 2006. Under this Act, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) is the principal agency of the Government for collecting, analyzing and disseminating official statistics in Kenya. In Kenya, the first Census of Establishment was undertaken in 2010 and mainly aimed at updating the business Register.