Survey: Majority of Kenyans think country heading in wrong direction

A majority (59%) of Kenyans say the country is heading in the wrong direction, a 15-
percentage-point improvement since 2021 (74%), according to the latest Afrobarometer survey.
Except for 2017, the survey shows that a majority of Kenyans have consistently said the country is going in the wrong direction since 2011.
The perception that Kenya is headed in the wrong direction increases with respondents’ experience of lived poverty, ranging from just 36% among well-off citizens to 75% among the poorest. It is also more common in cities than in rural areas (64% vs. 56%). The youngest respondents (52%) are somewhat less likely to see the country as headed in the wrong direction than their elders (58%-65%).
A majority (61%) of citizens describe the country’s economic condition as “fairly bad” or “very bad.” About half (49%) say their personal living conditions are bad, while only one-third (33%) consider them good.
The survey conducted in partnership with the Institute for Development Studies (IDS) at the University of Nairobi shows that compared to 12 months ago, half (50%) of Kenyans describe the economic condition of the country as “worse” or “much worse,” while the other half say they are better (32%) or unchanged (17%).
However, a majority (57%) expect economic conditions to be better in 12 months’ time.
“Majorities of Kenyans say they or a family member went without basic life necessities at
least once during the previous year, including a cash income (90%), medical care
(68%), and enough food (58%). About six in 10 respondents (59%) experienced moderate or high levels of lived
poverty during the past year.”
It further shows that many Kenyans say they had to request assistance from other family members (55%),
friends or neighbours (44%), and/or religious, community, or charitable organisations (23%) during the past year in order to make ends meet.
It adds that most Kenyans are dissatisfied with the government’s performance on key economic
issues, including its overall management of the economy (62%).
About six in 10 (59%) blame the government’s poor economic management for the increasing cost of living.
Health, the increasing cost of living, and unemployment rank as the most important problems that Kenyans want their government to address