Tifa poll: Cost of living tops Kenyans’ list of national worries at 47%

A new TIFA poll shows that inflation, high prices and high taxes are viewed by Kenyans as the most serious problems facing the country.

According to the findings, 47 per cent of respondents identified inflation, high prices and high taxes as the country’s biggest concern. Unemployment and poverty followed at 23 per cent. Corruption was ranked third at 21 per cent.

Other issues attracted far lower mentions. Lack of access to health care and political tensions were each cited by 2 per cent of respondents.

Threat to peace and stability and crime or insecurity were each mentioned by 1 per cent. Lack of access to or quality of education also stood at 1 per cent, while other issues accounted for 2 per cent.

Overall, the survey indicates that economic concerns dominate public perception.

The poll notes that in identifying the single “most serious problem” now facing the country, more than two-thirds of Kenyans, 70 per cent in total, mentioned the economy.

This combined figure includes those who pointed to inflation, high prices and high taxes, as well as unemployment and poverty. Corruption was the only other issue to register above 20 per cent, at 21 per cent, while all other categories remained below 3 per cent.

The TIFA report suggests that a wide range of other concerns, including health care, education, security and political tensions, attracted minimal responses compared to economic pressures.

The survey was conducted between May 2, 2026 and May 11, 2026. It covered a nationally representative sample drawn from nine zones: Central Rift, Coast, Lower Eastern, Mt Kenya, Nairobi, Northern, Nyanza, South Rift and Western.

Data was collected through face-to-face, household-based interviews, conducted mainly in Swahili and English. The study reached 2,013 respondents and reports a margin of error of plus or minus 2.18 per cent. The report notes that larger margins of error apply to sub-samples.

The findings highlight a strong concentration of concern around economic conditions, with “most serious problem” responses largely clustered around cost-of-living pressures and employment challenges, compared with other national issues.