For the first time in Kenyan history, ethnicity was not taken into account in the analyses drawn from the most recent census in 1999. In placing the 1999 census in its context, this article makes it possible to understand the necessity for this radical deviation from the Anglo-Saxon tradition which had hitherto dominated national statistics. The polemic over the manipulation of results according to ethnic categories in the previous census of 1989 contributed to the devaluation of this statistical tool. The abandonment of ethnic categories takes place within a competitive context exacerbated by limited resources, while demographic growth remains a stake for everyone. Political rivalry over questions of identity and land rights has led to serious tensions among communities in the 1990s, and any question related to ethnicity generates a climate of distrust and suspicion among Kenyans.