A group of civil society organizations which make up part of the 2015 Population and Housing Census Technical Committee has praised the ongoing process of the impending nationwide counting as on track. The group, at a press conference on Monday, said they were so far contented with the process and pledged to continue monitoring it to ensure a credible outcome.
“As Civil Society involved in this process, we want to inform the wider CSO’s, development partners and the general public that the methodology and processes adopted in the conduct of the 2015 Population and Housing Census are in line with international best standards and practice,” the group said in a statement handed out to journalists at the press conference held at the offices of Democracy Sierra Leone, 23 Percival Street in Freetown.
Accordingly, the Census Technical Committee (CTC) is tasked with providing oversight, which includes monitoring of all census activities as provided for in the 2002 Census Act.
This position by the CSO group comes a week after a damning report by the Freetown-based independent Think Tank, the Institute of Governance Reform (IGR), which questioned the possibility of reaching a credible outcome from the process it said had already been marred by partisan political considerations.
IGR`s position is entailed in a report titled ‘Census Credibility Problems Linger On’ and it was published after a two-month long survey. It raises concerns around technical issues, notably citing “serious limitations” in verification exercises, among others.
That was a follow up to an earlier report at the end of 2014 which cast doubt on the independence of the agency and questioned its competence in terms of resources and technical personnel
“Follow up measures by Statistics Sierra Leone have not only been unhelpful in addressing the issues in recruitment and the errors in the census mapping, but the statistics agency is presenting a misleading picture to the government and stakeholders about the country`s preparedness to hold a credible census,” the latest report reads in part.
Andrew Lavallie, IGR`s Executive Director, said their report was based on a survey which expressed the views of people on the ground.
However, the statement signed by the Sierra Leone Teachers Union (SLTU), Sierra Leone Union on Disability Issues, Democracy Sierra Leone, National Youth Coalition, National Elections Watch (NEW), Health Alert and Health Network, effectively dismissed the IGR report.
The CSOs states in their release that so far they had been participating in all activities conducted, ranging from Cartographic mapping, verification and validation of the Enumeration Areas, validation of census questionnaires and inauguration of the recruitment committee nationwide.
James Lahai, National Coordinator of NEW, said his organization was interested in the Census process because it had to do with statistics which was crucial in electioneering processes.
“…those statistics will be very important during national elections. They will be used to determine constituencies and wards in the country,” he told journalists, adding that election periods were not the only time the process was rigged.
Alhaji Warrisay, National Coordinator Democracy Sierra Leone, said they`d observed that Statistic Sierra Leone had serious challenges with funds to undertake all its activities and that the Ebola outbreak in the country seriously affected the entire census exercise. He added however that as CSOs they would monitor all activities to ensure a credible exercise.
(C) Politico 14/08/15
