Why 2016 was good for North Eastern, Central residents but bad for Coast

In a few days, 2016 will draw to a close and the world will usher in another year. For Kenyans, the year has seen remarkable strides in some sectors like innovation and a renewed vigour in the manufacturing sector with companies setting up shop in the country.

On the other hand, this year has also seen unprecedented job cuts, acrimony and upheaval within political circles. Disaster and death have also struck with building collapses and horrific accidents that have resulted in loss of lives.

On the plus side, the country was treated to a nearly flawless national examination period that recorded next to no cheating and exam leakage scandals that have tarnished the education sector for decades.

Through all this, Kenyans, like always, emerged resilient. Perhaps because of the ups and downs, a recent Infotrack poll suggests that 39 per cent of Kenyans say 2016 has been an average year, not particularly good and not spectacularly bad.

Some 31 per cent of Kenyans say 2016 has been a generally good year. Majority of those who said 2016 has been good, hail from North Eastern Kenya where 42 per cent of those polled shared these sentiments. Thirty six per cent of residents in Central Kenya also say 2016 was good. Rift Valley comes a close third with 34 per cent also saying it was good year.

On the other end of the spectrum, Western leads with the number of people who think 2016 was generally a bad year with 23 per cent of those polled admitting to this.

Their sentiments are shared by their neighbours in Nyanza, where 19 per cent share these sentiments. Fourteen per cent of Coast residents also say it was a generally bad year.