Majority of Kenyans feel the country is headed in the wrong direction.
A survey released by Tifa on Wednesday shows 75 per cent of respondents said the country is headed in the wrong direction.
Only 14 per cent feel the country is headed in the right direction.
The Survey was conducted between May 2 and May 6, 2025, among 2,024 respondents across nine zones, including Central Rift, Coast, Lower Eastern, Mt Kenya, Nairobi, Northern, Nyanza, South Rift, and Western.
It was conducted through Telephonic Interviews conducted (with respondents whose contacts were collected through face-to-face (i.e., household-based interviews).
The interviews were conducted in Kiswahili (mainly) and English.
The survey has a margin error of +/- 2.17 per cent.
Among those interviewed, 45 per cent cited the rising cost of living as the main concern.
Poor leadership was identified by 11 per cent while 10 per cent pointed to unemployment.
Human rights abuses and corruption were each mentioned by 8 per cent of respondents.
In terms of regional perspective, the most positive views about the country’s direction were found in the Northern and Central Rift zones.
Some 32 per cent and 28 per cent of respondents, respectively, said the country is headed in the right direction.
The Central Rift’s optimism, according to the survey, was attributed to the fact that it is the President’s political stronghold.
Northern Kenya’s relatively high optimism, it stated, may be linked to recent policy changes, such as the easing of ID issuance procedures in the region.
The highest levels of dissatisfaction were recorded in Lower Eastern, Mt Kenya, and Nairobi, where 81 in each region felt the country is headed in the wrong direction.
In terms of perceptions, some 14 per cent of respondents believe the country is headed in the right direction.
Among them, the most commonly cited reason was a reduction or slower rise in the cost of living (27 per cent), followed by ongoing infrastructure projects (11 per cent) and effective leadership (8 per cent).
On the other hand, among those who feel the country is headed in the wrong direction, the cost of living was again the dominant concern, mentioned by 44 per cent, four times more often than the next major issue, poor leadership (11 per cent).