Court Nullifies Mandera, Wajir, Garissa 2019 Census Results: Orders Fresh Count

The Garissa High Court has nullified the 2019 Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) census results for Mandera, Wajir, and Garissa counties, citing significant irregularities in the process.

Justice John Onyiengo has ordered the KNBS to conduct a fresh census within a year for the three counties.

The Court found that the KNBS failed to uphold fundamental data integrity standards during the 2019 census leading to inaccurate population figures for the affected areas.

The cancellation is a big win for North Eastern leaders, led by then Garissa Senator the late Yusuf Haji (who died in 2021) and Mandera Governor Ali Roba, who sued KNBS, the National Treasury, Commission on Revenue Allocation, and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, arguing that the 2019 census results did not reflect actual population figures.

Justice Onyiego further issued orders prohibiting constitutional bodies such as the IEBC, CRA, and the National Treasury from relying on or utilising in any other way Volume 1 of the published disputed 2019 KPHC results in sharing resources or determining boundary delimitation.

“Before a fresh mini-census exercise as directed above is conducted, the CRA, IEBC and the National Treasury shall continue to apply the published census results of 2009 in executing their respective mandates in respect of the affected areas or sub-counties,” said the judge.

He noted that the deployment of technology did not in any way jeopardise the outcome of the census.

Justice Onyiego explained that because the results were not verified through scrutiny, the only viable option was to quash them.

The ruling follows the consolidation of several petitions in the case of Hon Abdullahi Bashir Sheik and 24 others versus Kenya National Bureau of Statistics and four others.

Former Mandera governor Ali Roba who also filed a case challenging the 2019 census results listed the actual enumerated results as opposed to the figures published by KNBS as follows

• Mandera West – Actual Enumerated Population (318,146), KNBS Figures (98,300), Variance (-219,846)
• Banisa – Actual Enumerated Population (315,144), KNBS Figures (152,598), Variance (-162,546)
• Mandera South – Actual Enumerated Population (416,384), KNBS Figures (229,614), Variance (-186,770)
• Lafey – Actual Enumerated Population (205,434), KNBS Figures (83,457), Variance (-121,977)
• Mandera East – Actual Enumerated Population (279,599), KNBS Figures (159,638), Variance (-119,961)
• Mandera North – Actual Enumerated Population (238,041), KNBS Figures (143,850), Variance (-94,191)
• Total – Actual Enumerated Population (1,772,708), KNBS Figures (867,457), Variance (-905,291)

The court was given a comparative analysis.

Cencus 2019 Garissa Constitutional case 2025

Justice Onyiego ordered a fresh mini-population census in these areas within a year, meaning KNBS must complete the exercise by January 28, 2026.