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NAIROBI, 19 March 2008 (IRIN) - The political crisis in Kenya caused major population movements that may require a repeat of cartographic mapping in some areas before the 2009 census, but plans for the official count are on track, a government official told IRIN.

"We are revising our work plan and looking at areas where we might have to repeat cartographic mapping but we expect to hold the census on 25 August 2009 as planned," said Chris Omolo, the census manager and principal economist at the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).

"We expect to be through with cartographic mapping countrywide by March 2009, May at the latest."

With the support of the UN Population Fund(UNFPA) and other stakeholders, the development of all instruments for the exercise - manuals, questionnaires, etc - is expected to be ready in time.

Kemal Mustafa, UNFPA representative in Kenya, said early preparation was crucial. "Logistical mobilisation will not be easy as we head up to the census," Mustafa said. "Lack of census data slows down the process through which the government can plan for the numbers of people requiring services."

The January-February post-election violence had affected settlement patterns in parts of the country, Omolo said, but the statistics bureau had yet to assess the extent of this disruption.