By Benard Mulwa
According to an opinion poll report released today by TIFA, 56 percent of Kenyans feels that the country is heading in the wrong direction with 79 percent blaming on the high cost of living.
This Release reports the second set of results obtained from the national survey TIFA Research conducted between the 24th and 30th of June, 2023 using CATI (Computer-Assisted-Telephonic Interviews) of 1,530 respondents.
“A significant number of Kenyans (56%) believe that the current direction of the country is heading in the wrong direction”, Mrs. Maggie Ireri, CEO TIFA told journalist.
At least one-third of Kenyans mention Kindiki Kithure as the best performing Cabinet Secretary
Kithure Kindiki (Interior and National Administration) March 2023 26 percent June 2023 34percent, Ezekiel Machogu (Education) the second March 2023 10 percent June 2023 7 percent and Susan Nakhumicha Wafula (Health) March 2023 1 percent June 2023 6 percent the report indicates.
Irrespective of their political affiliations, the vast majority of Kenyans who perceive the country’s current direction as incorrect are in unanimous agreement about their reasoning: the ever-increasing cost of living, Ruto’s leadership 5 percent.
Among all Kenyans, the launch of the Hustler Fund receives the most mentions 10 percent, Bottom-Up Economy, Reducing Fertilizer Cost, Other Agricultural Support, Taxation policies, Debt Repayment, General Economic Improvement.
In terms of its perceived failures, there is widespread agreement that continuing if not increasing economic hardship is at the top of most Kenyans’ minds across the political divide, though the failure to fulfill “campaign promises” as well as various economic issues aside from such promises also receive considerable mentions.
Several points can be made with regard to several of the findings included in this2nd Release of TIFA’s June, 2023:
The first is that even those expressing support for President Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza government are expressing a considerable level of unhappiness with the current state of affairs. For example, almost as many of them consider the country’s current direction as “wrong” as do those who feel it is “right” (38% vs. 43%). Moreover, among all those who hold the former view, there is almost no difference as to the “main reason” why they feel so: the economy, and especially the cost of living (86% among those pro-Government, and 74% among those pro-Opposition).
Likewise, nearly one-third of pro-Government respondents are unable to cite any achievement of ‘their’ government, even if more than twice as many pro-Opposition respondents refuse to acknowledge any such achievements (31% vs. 70%). And in terms of Kenya Kwanza government failures, only one–quarter of its supporters consider there are “none” (24%), with almost as many of them identifying economic hardship as do Opposition supporters (47% vs. 58%).
One of the main questions such findings raise is at what point those who voted for Kenya Kwanza at both the national and local level will switch their political loyalties by throwing their support to the Opposition, which in the short term may be captured in such activities as the current round of protest-demonstrations that have been taking place.
-END-