Census storm brews
- As Section 2 slams ‘last-minute’ recruitment
- Opposition alleges cronyism
MOSA MAOENG
MASERU – A fierce political and legal storm is gathering over the country’s preparations for the 2026 Population Census, with the rights advocacy group, Section 2, raising grave constitutional concerns over the government’s recruitment of temporary field staff.
The organisation has condemned the process as a hasty, last-minute exercise that contradicts the very legislative intent of a “planned” national undertaking, while a united opposition bloc has leveled explosive accusations of corruption and nepotism against the ruling Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) government.
The controversy threatens to undermine the credibility of a constitutionally mandated exercise that forms the bedrock of national planning and resource allocation, casting a shadow over the administration’s stewardship of one of the country’s most critical statistical operations.
In a strongly worded statement issued on March 19, Advocates for the Supremacy of the Constitution, commonly known as Section 2, expressed alarm over the recruitment of temporary officers for the census, which is scheduled to commence on April 12. The group argues that initiating key recruitment processes as late as January for an exercise of this magnitude is not merely an administrative oversight but a fundamental breach of the legal framework governing the census.
Section 2’s legal argument hinges on the Lesotho Bureau of Statistics Act of 2001 (Act No 8 of 2001), the supreme legal guide for the collection of official statistics. The organisation pointed to Section 4(3)(d) of the Act, which explicitly mandates that the Bureau shall: “conduct decennial population, housing and agricultural census and surveys as prioritised and planned.”
“The use of the word ‘decennial’ – meaning every ten years – confirms that the 2026 census is not a spontaneous event. It is a recurring, legally anticipated duty,” reads the statement.
“Furthermore, the phrase ‘as prioritised and planned’ imposes a statutory obligation on the Bureau to treat the census with the gravity it deserves to ensure adequate time for preparation, resource mobilisation, and transparent recruitment.”
In an interview with Public Eye this week, Section 2 Coordinator, Kananelo Boloetse, underscored the historical and legal context of the census, explaining that the decennial requirement creates a predictable cycle that governments have known about for decades. He noted that Lesotho has conducted censuses every ten years for generations, with significant exercises taking place in 1986, 1996, 2006 and most recently in 2016.
“By the same logic, we already know there will be censuses in 2036 and 2046, unless the law is amended,” Boloetse stated.
“Against that background, initiating key recruitment processes in January for an exercise scheduled for April inevitably creates the impression of last-minute preparation. It resembles the familiar pattern of students who only begin assignments on the eve of submission, despite having had ample time.”
He emphasised that a national census is not an impromptu activity but a major statistical and governance undertaking requiring long-term, deliberate planning. The previous census in 2016, conducted under a different administration, involved a preparatory phase that spanned several years, including extensive cartographic mapping and pilot studies.
In contrast, the compressed timeline for the 2026 exercise has raised red flags among civil society and statistical experts.
“When critical steps such as recruitment appear compressed into such a short timeframe, it does not inspire the level of confidence the public ought to have in a process of this magnitude,” Boloetse warned, noting that the Bureau of Statistics invited applications for enumerators on March 13, barely a month before the census was set to begin.
However, Government Spokesperson, Boitelo Rabele, pushed back against the criticism, defending the timeline and the transparency of the process. He clarified that recruitment began as early as January this year and that the census period extends until June, with enumerators issued contracts lasting until their work is completed.
“The recruitment of the temporary staff has been clear and was never a secret,” Rabele said.
“We have talked about it on different platforms before, during and now after the recruitment.”
Despite the government’s assurances, Section 2 remained unconvinced, warning that the opaque circumstances surrounding the recruitment threaten to undermine constitutional democracy. “Such haste does not breed efficiency. It breeds opacity, and opacity is the fertilizer for nepotism and patronage,” the group’s statement reads.
While Section 2 has focused on procedural and constitutional breaches, the political temperature has been raised significantly by a coalition of opposition parties. The opposition bloc has leveled far more incendiary charges, accusing the RFP-led government of using the census recruitment as a vehicle for political patronage.
Sources within the opposition have alleged that the process of hiring approximately 1 200 census personnel – including enumerators, supervisors, and data entry clerks – was conducted in a manner designed to favour RFP loyalists and party cadres. The opposition claims that qualified individuals from other political affiliations or non-partisan backgrounds were systematically excluded in favour of individuals with direct ties to the ruling party.
“This is outright illegal,” charged one senior opposition leader, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue. “The government is hijacking a vital national institution for political gain. The census is meant to count every Mosotho, not to serve as a jobs-for-cadres program for the Revolution for Prosperity. We will not stand by while the constitution is trampled upon.”
The opposition has threatened to take the matter to court if the process is not transparently restarted.
They argue that a census conducted by a partisan workforce risks not only legal invalidation but also widespread public mistrust, potentially leading to non-cooperation in communities where the enumerators are perceived as political operatives rather than impartial data collectors.
Section 2, while not directly aligning with the opposition’s political accusations, has echoed calls for full disclosure to prevent such abuses. The organisation has demanded that the Bureau of Statistics publish the full recruitment plan for temporary officers, including the number of positions available, the qualifications required, and the detailed timeline for selection.
They have also called for procedural compliance, anti-nepotism vetting, and public reassurance that the process was free from political interference.
“We urge the government to slow down and do it right,” the Section 2 statement concluded. “Let the census be delayed if necessary, but let it be conducted by fairly recruited officers. Let it be an exercise that honours Section 20 of the Constitution, rather than one that tramples upon it.”
The reference to Section 20 of the Constitution – which protects the right to liberty and freedom from arbitrary administrative action – is a pointed legal challenge, suggesting that any citizen unfairly excluded from employment opportunities through a compromised process could have grounds for a constitutional claim.
As the April 12 start date looms, the Bureau of Statistics finds itself caught between the government’s insistence on proceeding as planned and growing demands from civil society and the political opposition for a complete overhaul of the recruitment process. With the threat of legal action hanging in the air, the coming days will be critical in determining whether Lesotho’s 2026 census will proceed as scheduled or be derailed by the very governance failures it is intended to help quantify.
For a country that relies on census data for everything from parliamentary constituency boundaries to the allocation of billions of Maloti in national budget resources, the stakes could not be higher.
Whether the government can navigate this storm and restore faith in the process remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the census has become the latest flashpoint in Lesotho’s turbulent political landscape.
