84% of Kenyans consider current economic condition worse than 2022: TIFA

Eighty-four per cent of Kenyans consider the country’s current economic condition worse than last year's, a report released by the research firm TIFA on Wednesday showed.

In the ‘End of 2023: President Ruto’s Government Performance’ report, eight per cent of Kenyans termed the current economic condition similar to 2022 while seven per cent said it was better.

Further, 87 per cent said they have reduced personal expenditure to adjust to the cost of living, mainly across transport, clothing and entertainment.

Kenyans gave President William Ruto a positive score in protecting forests, supporting agriculture, combatting pollution and contamination, as well as encouraging tourists and investment in tourism.

They scored him poorly in reducing Kenya’s debt and donor financial dependence, reducing corruption, creating jobs and reducing the cost of living.

Asked about the greatest challenge they think the Kenya Kwanza administration faces, respondents cited inflation and cost of living (39%), corruption (15%), debt repayment (8%), opposition pressure (4%), declining value of the shilling (3%) and unemployment (2%).

“Given the fact that reducing the cost of living was such a major part of Kenya Kwanza’s successful 2022 election campaign, its continued rise helps to explain why more Kenyans cited it as the main challenge the government currently faces,” Dr Tom Wolf, a senior researcher at TIFA, told a media conference in Nairobi.

TIFA said it conducted a mobile phone survey between November 25 and December 7. It engaged 3,009 respondents.

There has been public anger as Kenyans battle a high cost of living amid tax hikes, slashed subsidies and increased fuel prices which have led to a spike in the price of commodities.

High inflation and a weakening currency have also increased the country’s debt repayment costs.

Treasury data shows that Kenya had accumulated more than Ksh.10.1 trillion ($66 billion) in debt by the end of June.

But President Ruto has defended his economic policies, saying Tuesday that the country had emerged “safely out of the danger of debt distress”.

During his sixtieth Jamhuri Day celebrations speech in Nairobi, Ruto said the inflation rate was 6.8 per cent, down from a high of 9.2 per cent last year.

"In the last six months, our (Gross Domestic Product) has grown at 5.4 per cent, making Kenya the 29th fastest growing economy in the world, according to the World Bank," he said, although he did not provide any figures on the current levels of debt.