‘I’ve never been counted’: DR Congo’s first census in 42 years
For many Congolese, the census is about identity, recognition and finally being recorded by the state.
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Gedeon Katembo, a 36-year-old father of three, hopes the census will help create a stronger system for issuing identity documents.
“It is essential to know how many Congolese people there are in the country and around the world,” Katembo told Al Jazeera.
“The census can also help to strengthen national unity.”
The absence of widespread identity documents is rooted in decades of political instability, weak administrative systems and conflict that has disrupted state services across much of the country.
Counting amid conflict
The census will begin with a digital mapping exercise in which teams will identify inhabited areas before household data collection starts.
The task will be immense. The DRC covers more than 2.3 million square kilometres (888 square miles), and many communities remain difficult to reach because of poor roads, limited infrastructure and insecurity.
Henri Marie Kazadi, technical coordinator of the Central Census Office at the National Institute of Statistics, said the exercise would rely on digital tools rather than paper forms.
“It makes no sense for the state to build a football stadium in an area where there are only older people,” he told Al Jazeera.
Reliable census data could help officials understand where people live, their living conditions and what services are required.
For residents such as Ramazani and Katembo, however, the census is not just about numbers. It is about finally appearing in official records and obtaining documents that many Congolese have never had.
For Katembo, official identity documents represent a form of recognition that many Congolese feel they have long lacked.
“Through these cards, we will regain the nationality we lost over 40 years ago,” Katembo told Al Jazeera.