Chapter 8: Enumeration and Logistics
Kenya
The provisioning process was highly automated and required minimal human interaction. A network was set up to connect all the various hardware together so that the provisioning process can take place in a scalable and reliable manner. The network was relatively simple and self-contained and did not require Internet connectivity. After provisioning of the tablets, quality assurance was done to check if the provisioned tablets were ready for enumeration in the field again. this was highly automated and required minimal human interaction such as pressing the volume button.
The 2019 Kenya population and housing census (KPHC) adopted a de facto approach where all persons within the boundaries of Kenya were enumerated based on where they spent the census reference night (24th/25th August 2019) and continued for seven days up to 31st August 2019. A mop up exercise was conducted for two days (1st and 2nd September 2019) to ensure that all persons were enumerated. Data was collected through the canvasser method and captured using mobile devices (tablets).
Whereas the enumeration of the population living in conventional households continued throughout the census week, enumeration of special population (travelers, vagrants/outdoor sleepers, hotels, prison inmates, remand homes, police cells, hospital inpatients, and children’s homes) was strictly done on the census night using short questionnaires; while enumeration in the special areas such as army barracks, General Service Unit (GSU) camps, police lines, prisons, National Youth Service (NYS) camps, monasteries and convents was done by enumerators drawn from those institutions using hybrid questionnaires. Dignitaries and other VIPs were mainly enumerated within the first two days. After each household was enumerated, the enumerator added the letter “E” on the structure and household number written earlier during pre-enumeration household listing on doors to indicate that the household had been enumerated (e.g., S015/030/E).
The collected data was sent to the central server by enumerators after completion of every household or several households depending on the availability of internet connectivity. Coordinators, ICT, and content supervisors supported by County and Sub County census committee members coordinated and supervised the exercise. In the event of a tablet’s failure to send the data to the server, the enumerators shared their data via Bluetooth with their respective content supervisors, who eventually sent it to the server.
Pre-enumeration listing of households involved visiting, identifying, and listing all the households within the EA. It was undertaken for two days on 22nd and 23rd August 2019 immediately after concluding EA identification. In the households, enumerators informed the respondents that the listing would be followed by actual census enumeration, starting on the night of the 24th-25th August 2019. Households missed during pre-enumeration household listing were covered, along with the actual enumeration. The actual implementation involved using an uploaded pre-enumeration household listing questionnaire in the CAPI, the enumerator captured the following variables: GPS Coordinates of the main structure of the respective household; Structure number; Household number; Name of household head; Total number of usual members in the household (de jure).
The inbuilt application automatically generated structure and household numbers that started with an S. The enumerators used these numbers to generate a three-digit number for the structure, then a slash followed by a three-digit number for the household. For example, if the structure number was fifteen, and household number was thirty, the enumerator wrote the generated as S015/030. All the structures in the EAs were numbered in a systematic manner to avoid omissions or duplications. The enumerator either used chalk, felt pen and/or card to number all the structures somewhere conspicuous but where it could not be easily tampered with.
The enumerators got the opportunity to know and create rapport with the village elders and potential respondents. This also helped them to identify dignitaries, VIPs and any institutions or non-conventional households within the EA. It is during this period that the special area enumerators assigned to cover non-conventional households such as travelers, vagrants/outdoor sleepers, hotels, army camps/barracks, GSU camps, prisons, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) camps, remand homes, police cells, hospitals, children’s homes, convents, and monasteries identified the location of the areas assigned.
An enumerator was assigned an EA and was required to be accompanied by a village elder. With the guidance of the assistant chiefs and the village elders, the enumerators used the EA maps to identify their enumeration areas. Both hard and soft copy digital EA maps were produced for census enumeration purposes. Two soft copy pdf maps, one for the sub-location and the other for the EA were uploaded into the tablets for rural areas only. For urban areas such as Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu cities, hard copy maps were used because soft copy maps were too huge for uploading and lacked clarity. Thus, both soft and hard copy maps of an EA were used for the identification of the EAs.
Many vehicles were used to facilitate implementation of all the census activities. The vehicles included the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) fleet and mobilised vehicles through hiring, borrowing from other government departments and ministries, use of alternative transport such as boats and motorbikes, and use of flights/helicopters in difficult terrain and insecure places. During the actual enumeration stage, about 4,500 vehicles were used. Fueling and maintenance of the vehicles during pilot cartographic mapping was done by the transport section at the headquarters by allocation of specific fuel cards. While during enumeration, fueling and maintenance was done at approved petrol stations and garages.
During the pre-enumeration phase, the materials included: T-shirts, fliers, notebooks, field bags, identification badges, dustless chalks, felt pens, umbrellas, field boots, and tablets among others. These materials were issued to the team leaders centrally who in turn distributed them to their team members. The publicity materials included brochures and posters. The recruitment materials included printed forms for recording applicant’s details, counter books that acted as a register for applicants. The training materials included manuals, notebooks, marker pens, pens, chalks, tablets, and power banks/solar chargers. The enumeration materials included tablets, bags, ID badges, power banks, solar chargers, torches with batteries, reflector jackets, and cards (structure numbering, call back and travelers). The census logistics team prepared and effected a delivery plan of the procured materials. The materials were either procured centrally at KNBS headquarters or at the counties. The team also developed issuance forms and guidelines on handling, storage, and issuance.
The mobile devices were assembled by two local universities namely, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and Moi University. The mobile devices were delivered directly by the universities to the storage facilities in the counties. The tablets for use by ICT Supervisors were delivered directly to counties that had venues for the ICT Supervisors training. The other tablets and power banks/ solar chargers were distributed to the county storage facilities.
All counties had been guided to identify appropriate storage facilities at the county level. The Bureau requested and was granted use of storage containers from the Ministry of Energy. The containers were referred to as “Gas Yetu Containers” and were initially used by the Ministry to distribute liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and were available up to sub-county level. Other storage facilities included KNBS offices and county commissioner offices. Armed security, through Kenya Police Service, were deployed to guard the premises when census materials were within the counties.
Dispatch of the census materials was done using various modes. Lorries and canters from the NYS and Special Programs department were used to ferry materials to various regions. Courier services were used to send materials which were urgently needed to the counties. Helicopters from the department of defense airlifted material to the far counties. At the county level, the census support officers (CSOs) with assistance of the county lead coordinators distributed materials to the personnel. Most of the materials were distributed at the various training centres where the ICT and content supervisors handled the distribution.
Guidelines were developed on return of the census materials from the counties. The materials that census personnel were to return included tablets, power banks, solar chargers, maps, ID Badges, questionnaires, and notebooks. The enumerators submitted their materials to their content supervisors then the content supervisors submitted them to the ICT supervisor who in turn returned them to the CSO. The mobile devices (tablets, solar chargers, and power banks) were returned to the main storage facility at KNBS headquarters. A delivery plan had the first devices received at the main storage facility on 9th September 2019 and the last county delivered on 2nd November 2019. The returned devices had their details captured into an MS Access database to ease future retrievals.
The census logistics team was composed of one census coordinator and four logistics officers. The logistics officers were allocated specific counties. Up to 40 logistics casuals were engaged prior to census enumeration and were engaged up to the period when the devices had been received at the KNBS headquarters storage.
South Africa
Statistics South Africa (STATSA) conducted a fully digital, de facto census, i.e. all people in South Africa were counted from where they were on the designated census night (02 February 2022). A multi-modal approach to data collection was used with three alternative methods for households to participate -Computer Assisted Personal interview (CAPI) which involved face-to-face interviews with a census fieldworker who visited households and collected data from populations in transit/travelling, homeless and Special Dwelling Institutions (Hotels, B&B, guest houses, hospitals, police and military barracks, Prisons and boarding schools, nursing homes, etc.). Computer Assisted Web Interviews (CAWI) were used to enable the respondent to complete the census questionnaire online after registering. Computer Assisted Telephonic Interview (CATI) was also used, where the respondent completed the census questionnaire telephonically with the assistance of a STATSA official.
Household registrations increased significantly in the days preceding the original close of registration which coincided with the first week of enumeration. STATSA’s official quote on the advantages of CAWI: “It appears that once households realised how quick and easy it is to complete the online Census form, word got around, prompting the spike in registrations. There have been numerous requests to the call Centre for us to reopen registration. The online form can be completed on a computer or smartphone and is data free to the user. STATSA says the form is simple to complete and will take about 10 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the household.”
Tanzania
Tanzania’s 2022 census required the provisioning of 205,000 tablets for enumerators, IT supervisors, and content supervisors. The task involved preparing the tablets with the necessary software (CAPI application), data files (questionnaires, maps), and security settings before deployment to the field. Tanzania developed a custom provisioning tool, leveraging open-source technology. The system comprised 25-30 workstations, each with a computer connected to multiple tablets via USB hubs. The custom tool automated the installation of applications, files, security protocols, and collection of tablet information. The custom tool significantly increased provisioning speed, provisioning 10 tablets in 2 minutes at each workstation. It led to 90% savings in person-hours compared to available alternative solutions. The automated system enhanced quality control and monitoring of the provisioning process. The system automated the setting of security protocols on the devices. Logs of the operation on each workstation were synced to a local server for monitoring and quality control. The initial challenge was achieving the target provisioning rate of all 205,000 tablets within seven days. This was overcome by developing the custom tool, which was tailored to Tanzania’s specific needs and resources. Tanzania intends to use a similar approach in future censuses, with potential advancements.
The logistics committee for the 2022 PHC was created on 20th June, 2022 with members from various government ministries, departments and institutions. Along with other duties, the committee was responsible for distributing the census equipment during the second and third level training period and during enumeration. This was done throughout the country, in parallel with returning the equipment which were supposed to be returned to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) headquarters immediately after completion of the census exercise.
The logistics committee transported the census materials using trucks and vans from NBS, Prime Minister's Office, Tanzania National Army and National Electoral Commission. Also, the Postal Corporation Office was involved in transporting equipment, especially the tablets ,to ensure such equipment were available in the field on time.
As one of the successes of publicity and awareness raised by the government, one of the private transportation companies, namely “TUTUME logistic company” volunteered to transport the census equipment for free as part of their contribution to the government.
Approximately 1,800 vehicles were used during the enumeration exercise. Vehicles used in census activities included office vehicles and vehicles borrowed from other government institutions. Alternative modes of transportation, such as boats and motorcycles, were used in difficult and risky areas during the actual census exercise. Fuel and maintenance of office and non-office vehicles was covered in the census budget.
A helicopter from the Tanzanian People's Army was also used in transporting equipment, especially tablets and light reflectors which were used as a uniform to the enumerators during the census exercise.
Materials and equipment transported includes:
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Publicity materials such as brochures and posters, together with printed equipment handover forms.
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Training materials such as census manuals, power banks, plastic bags, brochures, notebooks, identification badges, chalk, pens and cards (for building enumeration, callback, and travellers’ cards).