Kenya is headed in the wrong direction and her top two leaders have been blamed by many people for the mess, a new poll suggests.
It puts President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto on the spot at a time of high-octane squabbles, early campaigning and party divisions.
According to the poll by research firm Infotrak, the majority of those surveyed — 48 per cent — said the country is headed in the wrong direction.
The high cost of living, rampant corruption, unemployment and poor governance were cited as the top reasons why respondents said things are not right.
Only 34 per cent of Kenyans said the county is headed in the right direction, with a majority citing the prevailing political peace.
The poll suggests that 26 per cent of Kenyans believe Uhuru is responsible for the wrong path Kenya is taking.
Fifteen per cent of Kenyans blamed all political leaders for the wrong path, while 11 per cent directly said Uhuru and Ruto should be held responsible.
Ironically, those who believe Kenya is headed in the right direction also give credit to Uhuru at 55 per cent.
Seventeen per cent, however, said Uhuru and Opposition chief Raila Odinga are responsible for the right direction.
The random sampling of 1,048 adults was conducted between June 22 and 23. The margin of error was three per cent.
According to the pollster, since Jubilee rode to power in 2017, Kenyans have consistently moaned that the country is headed in the wrong direction
“This sentiment has more or less been consistent over the last two years except for May 2018 when it dropped to 28 per cent. This was characterised by high hopes associated with the handshake between President Uhuru and Raila Odinga,” Infotrak boss Angela Ambitho said yesterday.
Fifty-five per cent of Kenyans cited the prohibitive cost of living as the reason why they believe Kenya is headed in the wrong direction.
The latest inflation figures released last Friday by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics show the cost of living rose slightly to 5.7 per cent in June from 5.49 per cent in May — largely on increased fuel prices that caused a hike in the prices of basic foodstuffs.
Households bought a kilo of loose maize grains at Sh48.70 in June compared to Sh48.45, a kilo of beans at Sh120.26 up from Sh118.72, sifted maize flour at Sh177.83 up from Sh171.66. A kilo of sugar rose from Sh108.87 to Sh109.12.
Thirty-three per cent cited corruption while 18 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively, cited unemployment and poor governance as reasons for the wrong direction.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, Director of Criminal Investigations and the Office of the Director Of Public Prosecutions have been on a blitz arresting and charging corruption suspects. They are yet to secure a major conviction.
A 2018 survey by the Bureau of Statistics showed seven million Kenyans were unemployed, with 1.4 million of them looking for work.
But in yet another clear dissatisfaction with the executive, the poll shows that 58 per cent of Kenyans are not satisfied that the 2019-2020 budget adequately captured their needs and aspirations.
Treasury CS Henry Rotich unveiled the Sh3.02 trillion budget, the biggest in the East African region on May 13.
However, according to the poll, only 17 per cent of Kenyans said the budget captured their needs and aspiration.
Twenty-five per cent said they don’t know whether the budget captures their aspirations or not.
Atop the list of why Kenyans are dissatisfied with the budget is the government's failure to reduce taxation on critical consumer goods such as maize, milk and fuel.
According to the poll, of those who said the budget was not satisfactory, 63 per cent cited failure to reduce taxation on consumer commodity pricing.
Another 15 per cent cited the government's decision to compel boda boda operators to have accident insurance.
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko and Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria have already moved to court to challenge the policy on boda bodas, claiming it’s a punitive move that would further impoverish the riders.
The dissatisfaction with the budget is uniform across the country irrespective of the political divide.
However, Nairobi takes the lead at 68 per cent with Western and Central, President Kenyatta’s political backyard tying at 62 per cent.
Nyanza comes fourth at 60 per cent, followed by Rift Valley at 58 per cent.
