President Uhuru Kenyatta Sunday completed his two-day tour of Nyanza and Western regions where he reiterated calls for development as opposed to political rhetoric.
Even as Uhuru left a trail of projects and promises in the CORD strongholds, a recent opinion poll showed that many Kenyans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction.
According to the survey, a majority of Kenyans are worried the country is headed in the wrong direction because of corruption, high cost of living and unemployment. As expected, the poll elicited mixed and strong reactions from Opposition, Jubilee and religious leaders.
As a sign of discontent with President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto’s Jubilee administration, 62 per cent of the respondents told the pollster, Infotrak, that "the country is moving in the wrong direction". And on the back of swirling graft reports, corruption has surged from being the fifth issue of concern to Kenyans, as recorded in a survey last year, to the topmost problem troubling Kenyans this year.
In the survey conducted between November 6 and 9, 40.9 per cent of the respondents said they were worried about corruption, piling pressure on the Government to act on the vice.
High cost of living (13.3 per cent) , unemployment (12.3 per cent) and insecurity (9.3 per cent) are other issues worrying Kenyans, according to the poll that interviewed 1,000 Kenyans eligible to vote in 25 counties.
In 2014, unemployment was ranked the top pressing issue with 26 per cent of Kenyans decrying lack of jobs, followed by the high cost of living (19.5 per cent), insecurity (18.6 per cent) and quality of education (10.1 per cent).
Perhaps because of the massive investment in infrastructure, including the standard gauge railway and by-passes, only a paltry 3.4 per cent feel infrastructure is a problem.
Curiously, despite rising political rhetoric, prompting even the Chief Justice to warn that politicians were courting violence, only a paltry 2.7 per cent of respondents felt hate speech (ranked ninth in order of concern) is an issue of concern.
Sunday, Jubilee leaders dismissed the findings with Senate Majority Leader Kithure Kindiki terming it a script similar to the one they had used before Jubilee came to power.
"Aren't these the same people who before the last elections told Kenyans that their opinion polls indicated that President Uhuru and Deputy President Ruto would not win the elections?" asked Mr Kindiki.
"In 2013, they partnered with some civil society groups and some foreign countries to show that we would not win the elections. They have been biased, but let them watch the space as we will disapprove them and put their findings to shame," added Kindiki.
National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale claimed that the research firm was being used by CORD leaders to incite the public against the Jubilee government.
"I was in ODM from 2007 to 2010. Infotrak is one of the institutions we used back then and is still being used by Raila to tilt perceptions of Kenyans. We will not accept the research findings. Kenyans should treat the results with the contempt they deserve," he said.
However, Opposition leaders termed the poll findings a true reflection of the current situation in the country. Senate Minority Leader Moses Wetang'ula said the situation is even gloomier, arguing there is a decline in growth in all sectors, ranging from agriculture to education, tourism, roads and devolution.
"I'm surprised that the polls indicate that 62 per cent of Kenyans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. The figure should much higher," Wetang'ula said.
"Things are not right for Kenyans. Even those from the Jubilee-dominant areas are feeling the pinch. I believe maybe less than 20 per cent of Kenyans can give credit to this regime."
Infotrak CEO Angela Ambitho said the disapproval ratings have remained at the same level since a similar poll. "These sentiments from the citizenry suggest that things haven't improved as per expectation since last year," Ms Ambitho said.
Fantasy world
Amani National Congress Party Leader Musalia Mudavadi and Narc Kenya Leader Martha Karua termed the polls a candid reflection of the widespread discontent with Jubilee's performance among Kenyans in all the regions.
"The way things are going at the moment, it would even be appropriate to call for early elections to pave way for a new crop of leaders. The country is definitely headed in the wrong direction, " Mudavadi said.
Ms Karua said while she is not a firm believer in opinion polls, as she feels that they hardly give the true reflection on the ground, the indicators by Infotrak resonated with the prevailing situation.
"If the polls are saying there is discontent over the manner the country is being run, I think it's a fair reflection of what the situation looks like, at least in my view," Karua said.
Mukurwe-ini MP Kabando wa Kabando described the poll results as fictitious, biased and lacking in empirical evidence. "Infotrak has no record of accurate prediction. They never disclose the actual source of their results which compromises their legitimacy," Mr Kabando said.
Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma (ODM) said the number of Kenyans who think the country is headed in the wrong direction could be higher.
"All Kenyans know that the country is headed in the wrong direction except Uhuru and Ruto, who seem to be living in their own fantasy world. Unless something is urgently done, things will move from bad to worse," he said.
Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen dismissed the poll results saying it is as misguided as a similar poll by the research firm just before the previous General Election.
"During the 2013 General Election, Infotrak colluded with non-governmental organisations and other foreign bodies to lobby Kenyans not to vote in Jubilee government lest they make the country go in the wrong direction. This poll is just to confirm what they had already in mind," said Mr Murkomen.
"It was just a matter of time for this truth to be uncovered," said Wiper Party Secretary General Hassan Omar. "For a long time now economists as well as the Opposition have warned that the country was bound to fail if the current kind of leadership prevails. The massive over-borrowing and overspending are just some of the things that have driven this country to economic unrest."
Return loot
National Muslim Leaders Forum Chairman Abdullahi Abdi, said the poll results appear to be reflecting the situation prevailing. "It is a wake-up call to the Jubilee administration that the country is getting more and more disenchanted. They need to act quickly to restore the hope of Kenyans."
Dagoretti South MP Dennis Waweru described the polls as a test to nationhood.
"Cases of corruption and economic turbulence are normal in emerging economies. We are not the only ones. Kenya is firmly secured by the zeal of its people."
Mr Waweru said it is vital for Kenya to remain focused on redeeming the country from the economic turmoil instead of concentrating on a dim view of the future.
Former Governance PS John Githongo said: "That is not surprising because there was another opinion poll earlier in the year that showed the same thing. Developments on the political and economic front show that politicians do not care about the welfare of Kenyans. It does not inspire the confidence of Kenyans."
The polls showed that discontent with Government is high in Nyanza (81.2 per cent), Coast (69.2 per cent), Nairobi (67.3 per cent), Eastern (66.7 per cent) and Western (56.9 per cent).
According to the poll, a majority of respondents in Jubilee strongholds said the country is headed in the wrong direction including Rift valley (54.6 per cent) and Central (53.5 per cent).
North Eastern had the least number of people (47.8 per cent) who expressed pessimism about the country's future.
The poll shows that a majority of Kenyans (59.6 per cent) wants those suspected of graft to be prosecuted immediately, while 28.6 per cent want them to step aside to pave way for investigations.
Another 23 per cent want such individuals to resign while 16.8 per cent want them banned from holding public office. 12.5 per cent want them to be forced to return the loot stolen with 2.9 per cent seeking the freezing of their bank accounts.
