Survey Reveals why Kenyans doubt Uhuru’s Success in ending Graft

Over the last few weeks, stories that were making headlines left most of us worried about the state of our nation. The high cost of living and rampant corruption in the government are the key issues Kenyans want to be addressed, according to a survey released on Friday. A survey by Twaweza East Africa further states that 71 per cent of citizens are displeased with the direction the country is taking. The data was collected from 1,607 respondents from Kenya’s Sauti za Wananchi panel between September 27 and November 2, last year.

In the survey, 82 per cent of Kenyans think President Uhuru Kenyatta will not succeed in the fight against corruption before the end of his term. The study revealed that 61 per cent of Kenyans are positive about efforts to improve security, and almost as many said the country is doing well in connecting households to electricity. However, a majority reported that the country is not doing well in economic management ( 85%), creating jobs ( 76%), improving living standards ( 72%), and fighting corruption ( 54%).

Those interviewed cited high cost of living, corruption, national debt, and high unemployment rate. Others were unhappy with insecurity, rampant poverty, inequality rich-poor gap, poor health services, and poor education standards. The respondents cited lack of confidence in his administration’s commitment to fight graft while 40 per cent said the majority of government officials are corrupt.

Those who spoke positively of the country ( 17%) referred to the bolstered fight against corruption. In the same vein, the respondents also recognised efforts put in education reforms, owing to the prudent management of national exams, KCPE and KCSE. “Seven out of 10 citizens ( 69%) are satisfied with the country’s direction in addressing education challenges, more than for any other issue in the survey,” Twaweza senior researcher Victor Rateng said.

The study also rated President Kenyatta, DP William Ruto, and AU envoy Raila Odinga’s performance in matters of national development. Uhuru led with an approval rating of 71 per cent followed by Ruto at 54 per cent and Raila at 48 per cent. “However, while the number of citizens who ‘strongly approve’ of his performance has continued to drop, his overall approval rating has recovered from 64 per cent in mid-2017 to 71 per cent in late 2018,” the poll states.

For state institutions, the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions got the highest approval rating at 66 per cent followed by the Judiciary at 62 per cent, National Cohesion and Integration Commission ( 53%), Speaker of Parliament and the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission ( 52%). The handshake still remains popular at a rating of 71 per cent for bringing peace in the wake of the dispute around the 2017 presidential election.