Nairobi — With 29 days to go before the Kenyan voters go to the polls to elect President Uhuru Kenyatta’s successor, a new opinion survey has given the Jubilee leader an ‘average’ score for his performance since 2017 when he won a second term.
The survey conducted by Trends and Insights For Africa (TIFA) shows that 35 percent of the 1,533 respondents interviewed between June 25 and 30 gave him a rating of “3” out of a possible 5 points.
The president who is serving out his final term received an identical 17 per cent response from those giving him a rating of both “2” and “4”.
However, poll revealed an absolute contrast between Raila Odinga’s and Deputy President William Ruto’s supporters, with more than 29 per cent of Odinga’s supporters giving him the two lowest (combined) ratings, while 21 percent of presumed Ruto supporters scored him for the two highest performance clusters (combined).
An examination of a selection of responses to a question about the Jubilee government’s successes since 2017 reveals a few contrasts that suggest a higher proportion of Odinga supporters who mentioned infrastructure (53pc), peace and security (3pc), and economic growth (3pc), as well as devolution (3pc) as key achievements.
Just 48 per cent of Ruto supporters mentioned infrastructure while 8 per cent scored President Kenyatta’s efforts on peace and security.
Another 29 percent of presumed Ruto supporters declined to mention any success.
With regard to the two main perceived failures of the Jubilee government since 2017, supporters of the two main presidential candidates were largely in agreement about the impact of the cost of living and debt, though rather more Odinga support cited employment (14pc), corruption (14pc), and education (19pc).
Ruto supporters, on the other hand, mentioned issues related to economic growth (22pc), agriculture, and peace and security (10pc).
A further 4 per cent cited divisions within the government, which is an obvious reflection of the strained relations between the president and his deputy during the 2017-2022 period.