Banisa Member of Parliament Hon Kullow Maalim Hassan and Mandera Senator Mohamed Mohamud on Thursday petitioned the High Court to stop an ongoing census in their home county, saying the exercise was being unconstitutionally being conducted.
Through their presiding lawyer Jamal Bake Hassan, the two politicians argued that the current exercise that is being conducted in Mandera County is not recognized as per the existing laws as the official national census is expected to formally kick-off in August, 2019.
Even as the leaders fault the exercise, the government of Kenya is on record having challenged the 2009 census report in Mandera County, alleging that the population figures were widely exaggerated.
MP Kullow and Senator Mohammud are fighting any move by the national government to alter population figures in parts of Mandera County, a thing which they allege will translate to reduced financial allocations to the county.
In a letter seen by this writer, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics and the Attoney General are the two main respondents in the case while MP Kullow and the Senator Mohamed Mohamud are the 1st and 2nd applicants respectively.