Majority of Kenyans believe President William Ruto is not doing enough to address the high cost of living, a new study indicates.
A paltry eight per cent of Kenyans said the President has done something to arrest the skyrocketing cost of living that has pushed most people to the edge.
A record 58 per cent of the respondents said little is being done to reduce cost of living in the last one year.
The survey by Tifa Research was exploring five areas that were key during President Ruto’s campaigns.
They were cost of living, unemployment, subsidised agriculture, assistance to small businesses and cost of education.
“Vast majority of Kenyans remain quite poor, a reality that applies even to those employed. Compared to one year ago, most Kenyans report it is being worse (current economic position),” the report indicates.
The poll conducted between September 8 to 10 also gives Ruto’s administration the lowest score – eight per cent – in addressing youth unemployment.
Fixing youth unemployment was a major rallying call during Ruto bottom-up campaigns but one year later, 58 per cent of Kenyans feel very little is being done in that direction.
The survey was conducted across nine zones of Central Rift, Lower Eastern, Coast, Mt Kenya, Nairobi, Northern, Nyanza, South Rift and Western.
A total 1,007 respondents were engaged in the survey. The poll had +/-3.1 per cent error margins.
Ruto’s administration, however, scored in its promise for subsidise fertiliser, where 44 per cent of the respondents gave the administration a thumbs up.
“Only the provision of subsidised fertiliser receives a ‘very much’ implementation-so-far that is close to half (44 per cent),” the report released on Wednesday reads.
The respondents also gave Ruto's government 26 per cent in its efforts to assist small businesses/ hustlers and 11 per cent in reducing the cost of education.
The poll, however, revealed a significant decline in the number of Kenyans who feel that the country is headed in the wrong direction.
Only 36 per cent indicated that the country is headed in the wrong direction compared to 56 per cent who held similar opinion in June 2023.
However, more Kenyans were upbeat that the country is on the right track, with 49 per cent supporting the opinion.
In June this year, only 25 per cent believed the country is headed in the right direction.
“Nearly half of Kenyans currently feel the country is moving in the right direction, though the views about this differ sharply across the political divide, with almost as many opposition supporters (61 per cent) feeling that the country’s direction is wrong as to government supporters (73 per cent) who consider it to be right,” the report indicates.
“A slight plurality of those not expressing any political alignment also holds to the opposition negative opinion.”
The findings also indicated that majority of Kenyans – 60 per cent – is confident that the President will deliver on its key pledges on agriculture, education, cost of living, hustlers empowerment and employment by the end of his first term.
According to the report, 60 per cent said agriculture subsidy will be realised before next elections while 39 per cent believe the head of state will make good his promises to small business by 2027.
In the report, 37 per cent said there will be reduction in the cost of living compared to 29 per cent who are of the opinion that the government will deliver on its job creation pledge.
Thirty-one per cent of the respondents indicated that high cost of living will be a thing of the past at the end of Kwanza administration first term.
