I take this opportunity, on behalf of the society, to welcome you to this Kenya National Statistical Society (KNSS) website. KNSS is registered under the laws of Kenya as the national Statistical society of Kenya. It was registered in August 2008 and started operations under interim officials until November 2012, when the inaugural office bearers were elected. The society is a professional body that brings together statisticians and users of statistics in the country. Disciplines such as Mathematics, Biometry, Statistical modelling, Biostatistics, Social Statistics, Econometrics, Educational statistics, Entomology, Demography, Operations Research, Geostatistics, Sample survey, Design of Experiments, Financial modelling, and Actuarial Science are examples of disciplines that engage a lot of statistics and hence graduates of such disciplines are eligible for membership in KNSS.
The main objective of KNSS is to promote the understanding, teaching, research, and application good practices of statistics, statistical theory and methods in all areas under the motto “Setting benchmarks in Statistical sanity”. The society envisions becoming a leading professional body that brings together Statisticians and Statistics users in Kenya, the region and beyond. The mission of the society is to stimulate and promote research in Statistics, its teaching and applications for planning and decision making in both public and private agencies in Kenya, the region and beyond. KNSS was created to perform the following main activities: participation in the development and reviewing of statistics programmes in the universities and colleges in order to provide professional advice; accrediting statistics programmes and institutions; writing proposals for funding; as well as running short courses in Statistics. It also endeavours to offer consultancy services such as data analysis; to work in partnership with the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) in provision of statistical services as may be awarded by KNBS; participate in mentorship programmes by the senior members in the affiliate institutions and organisations; production of the society’s Newsletters to keep members updated; source for, and if possible provide scholarships to young statisticians who are members at the school or college levels; provide internship opportunities at KNSS or in collaboration with our cooperate members; and organising advocacy programmes like National Statistics Day events.
The roles of the statistical society on the members, include:
- Creation of a data-base/inventory of professionals in various application areas of statistics. This becomes a one-stop shop for anyone seeking statistical services.
- Creation of employment opportunities in the services provided by the society
- Creating a networking platform for the professionals operation with other bodies
- Advance training and re-training of Statisticians to attain a Chartered Statistician (CStat) status from a Graduate Statistician at the first degree.
- Collaboration with other societies in the region and across the world hence bringing more diversity of ideas and skill.
- Promotion of professional liability can also be achieved; in the sense that the aggregation of the members will be good news to the uptake and the absorption of professional risks.
- Free online sharing of news and latest trends in the profession through the use of the members’ only corner will also be enhanced by the society.
- Nurturing of upcoming statisticians through mentorships programmes as initiated by the formation of the junior statistical societies in the universities and colleges
- Provide subsided rates for the society’s events, products and services.
- The Statistical society forms a critical mass for bargaining on the members reward and compensations, that is, to standardise compensations for work done by the certified members. This practice is common in other professional bodies where remuneration rates for their members/fellows are set by the regulating body.
- Regulation of statistical standards in the country from teaching to the profession delivery will be made more plausible with a strong statistical society.
I call upon more statisticians receiving this message to come on board and register as members. This will create a bigger critical mass to undertake more statistical practices leading to the social and economic development in a more unified way in the continent. Thank you.