Post a comment
Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL) has confirmed that Yenga will be included in the ongoing small-scale test to record the location of buildings and households ahead of the 2026 Population and Housing Census.
This was announced during a stakeholder meeting held in Koindu, the headquarter town of Kissy Teng Chiefdom.
Paramount Chief Emmanuel Sahr Ganawah asked whether Yenga, which is currently occupied by Guinean troops, would still be part of the data collection.
Responding to the concern, Principal Statistician and Cartographer Silleh Bah said Yenga remains part of Sierra Leone based on national maps and coordinates. He said although the town, about 2.5 miles from Koindu, may not be physically accessible, it will still be covered using updated satellite images that show buildings and structures in the area.
The ongoing exercise is part of a small-scale test where Stats SL is trying out how to collect detailed information about the location of buildings, homes, and communities. This helps them plan how to organize the full census count in 2026, including how census workers will reach each household.
Those present at the meeting included the five Section Chiefs from Konio, Bumasadu, Lela, Kundu, and Torli; Hon. Ing. Fallah Kenewah Tengbeh, Member of Parliament for Kissy Teng; the chiefdom speaker; Mammy Queen; youth and women’s leaders; the bike riders union; and representatives from the Office of National Security (ONS), Sierra Leone Police, and Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF).
Chief Elliot Fayah Foryoh welcomed the Stats SL team and said the chiefdom would provide full support. Hon. Tengbeh said he was pleased Kissy Teng was selected for the test and called for more awareness activities so that people in the community understand the purpose of the work.
Samuel Ansumana, Director of Communications and PR at Stats SL, encouraged local leaders to share information with their communities and help identify the best ways to reach people with updates.
Stakeholders at the meeting asked for continued engagement as the process goes on. They said involving the community would help ensure the information collected shows what is truly on the ground.
Kissy Teng is one of four places selected for this small-scale test. The others are Dema Chiefdom, Mara Chiefdom, and Freetown East 3. The aim is to try out how the teams will work, how equipment will be used, and how they will go about recording the location of buildings, homes, and communities before the census takes place across the whole country.
