2017 worse than previous years, survey

NASA leader Raila Odinga with other opposition leaders in Kisumu

Protracted political tension, job losses, and slow economic growth made this year worse than 2016, a new survey shows.

The survey by Trends & Insights for Africa (TIFA) released yesterday – just three days to the end of 2017 – shows that the year was worse to at least 75 per cent of Kenyans.

About two out of every three Kenyans cited high cost of living as the main challenge they faced while more than half listed political unrest as what tossed this year from bad to worse compared to 2016.

According to the survey, the people most affected by the high cost of living were from Nyanza and the northeastern region, at 72 and 82 per cent respectively.

This year the price of maize flour almost doubled, prompting the Government to introduce subsidised flour, which is still retailing at Sh90.

The drought that spilled over into 2017 from 2016 had the impact of increasing the price of basic commodities to unaffordable levels.

This pushed up inflation to peak at 11 per cent in April and May, which was a five-year high. On average, the inflation rate rose from 6.32 per cent in 2016 to 7.95 per cent in 2017.

“The crisis in Kenya was not only evident in political tension but also in the wallets of many citizens who could not afford to purchase basic food commodities such as maize flour, milk, and sugar, whose prices rose sharply and in some instances by over 200 per cent,” said the TIFA research chief executive officer, Maggie Ireri.

Political tension was cited as the second main challenge by 1,005 respondents who participated in the survey conducted between December 12 and 16.

Kenyans went to the poll on August 8 but President Uhuru Kenyatta's win was nullified by the Supreme Court on September 1, pushing the country back to yet another heated political competition.

But the repeat race plunged the country into further political unrest after opposition leader Raila Odinga pulled out of the race while calling for electoral reforms at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.

The poll went ahead, but with almost half of the voters boycotting the exercise. Raila has since declared his intention to be sworn in as the 'people’s president'.

Nyanza and Coast witnessed the highest political tension, as recorded by 71 per cent and 59 per cent – for Nyanza and Coast – respondents respectively.

Unemployment

“The main challenge faced in 2017 was the high cost of living, as mentioned by 64 per cent of Kenyans, followed by political tension at 52 per cent and unemployment (25 per cent),” reads the report. The doctors’ strike, which lasted for 100 days, was also listed by 17 per cent of the respondents.

Additionally, 79 per cent of Kenyans felt that the economic conditions worsened in 2017 in comparison to 2016.

The survey further shows that at least 71 per cent of Kenyans felt that employment prospects worsened this year.