By Mohamed Kamara
The Deputy Statistician General, Mr. Andrew Bob Johnny on Thursday June 2nd. 2022 told Journalists at the usual Press Briefing Organized by the Information Ministry that the 2021 Mid-Term Census was successful.
He thanked the Kenyan Government which provided 20,000 electronic tablets at the cost of 30 billion Leones of which the Sierra Leone Government has paid 18 billion Leones and remaining 12 billion Leones.
In contradiction to the Deputy’s address to journalists, media officer attached to State House, Mr. Lamin Sheriff on Thursday June 9th 2022, at the usual press briefing Organized by the Information Ministry says that all materials used in the Mid-Term Census were donated by the Kenyan government.
“Out of the 45,000 gargets 20,000 were given to Sierra Leone while the rest were equally distributed among other African State such as South Africa, Botswana and Rwanda,” he affirms.
The Deputy Statistician as opposed to the main Opposition claims of incorrectness of the figures presented especially those of Kenema District, he said the District represents fifteen chiefdoms and Kenema Town which massively turns out in full during the registrations process and of course there are a lot of economic activities which contributes to the population hike in those areas. He denies that the figures in densely Populated Western Urban/Rural District and North West were as a results of a boycott machinated by the main Opposition before the process kicks off in 2021.
However, political parties have described the Mid-Term Population and Housing Census as not credible and have called on the government of Sierra Leone to reject it, claiming that, majority of the people of Sierra Leone were not counted.
