An opinion pollster is at pains to explain how they arrived at result that indicate 60.1 per cent of Kenyans support President Kibaki's controversial appointment of county commissioners.

The Gallup Africa poll released the results on Saturday. According to the poll, 59.6 per cent of respondents support the retention of the provincial administration while 60.1 support creation of county commissioners.

Gallup Africa said the poll was conducted between June 12 and 25. "We are affiliated to Gallup International and we have certification to that effect," Idi Pembere who is the Gallup Africa's research director told the press. Idi Pembere, Gallup Africa's research director, said his company was not a member of the Marketing and Social Research Association because "we will not get any incentive by being a member of the association."

The survey supposedly interviewed 2,433 respondents using questionnaires in 25 counties in the country's former provinces. The survey has a margin of error of +/-3. About 83 per cent of the respondents, Pembere said, filled the questionnaires. Pembere said the poll had been financed by the company's resources. "Gallup Africa is a big company and we undertook this exercise because we recognize our responsibility," he said.

Support for the retention of the provincial administration and the county commissioners, Pembere disclosed, was lowest in Nyanza, Coast and Western. The emergence of Gallup Africa follows another one by a company calling itself Smart Octopus which was heavily criticised for giving fake data. The High Court nullified the appointments of the county commissioners. However acting Internal security minister Yusuf Haji has appealled the decision against the advice of the Attorney general Githu Muigai.