The eleven months leadership of president William Ruto’s administration has been put in the spotlight after majority of Kenyans ranked at 72 per cent feel that the country is headed in the wrong direction, the latest report by Infotrak Research has shown.
The feeling is particularly strong in the Nyanza, Western and Coast regions, where 82 per cent, 79 per cent and 72 per cent of the populations respectively, expressed concerns about the country’s trajectory, according to the report released yesterday.
On the other hand, only 15 percent of Kenyans have expressed optimism, holding the view that the country is heading in the right direction.
The regions with higher percentages of confidence in the country’s direction are Central, North Eastern and Rift Valley which produced 32 per cent, 31 per cent, and 19 per cent respectively.
The data collected from 2,400 respondents across the country between July 2 and July 8, 2023, also revealed a clear indication of public discontent with the leadership.
A staggering 75 per cent of Kenyans place the blame for the country’s wrong direction on the president, while the Executive is held responsible by nine percent of the population. Four per cent blame the government itself.
Conversely, some citizens also feel that the blame lies with the people, as three percent attribute the situation to their fellow citizens, while one percent point fingers at religious leaders as a contributing lot.
According to the Infotrak poll, the top reasons cited for the negative sentiment towards the country’s direction include the high cost of living, with a substantial 93 percent of respondents identifying it as a major concern.
Additionally, 19 percent of those surveyed attributed the problems to issues of unemployment and poor governance.
In regards to the much touted Finance Act 2023, which informed the ugly street protests staged by Kenyans, the Infotrak poll shows that 78 per cent of Kenyans are against the Act, while 22 percent of the respondents were in favour.
“Among the main reasons cited for the negative sentiment about the direction of the country is the high cost of living, which a substantial 93 per cent of respondents cited as a major concern. In addition, 23 per cent of respondents attributed the problems to unemployment and 19 per cent to poor governance.” Johvine Wanyingo, Infotrak’s senior field operations manager, said.
