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Kenyans disapprove Ruto tax plan, say country headed in wrong direction - Infotrak

A paltry 19 per cent of the respondents agreed that the country is on the right track

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by LUKE AWICH

News07 June 2024 - 02:16
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In Summary


  • 63 percent of Kenyans are not happy with the direction the country has taken.
  • The study was conducted between 23rd to 29th May 2024.
Protesters and activists take to streets during a past match dubbed 'Njaa Revolution'

Majority of Kenyans have disapproved President William Ruto’s tax plan as the country gears for the consideration of the Finance Bill 2024 detailing the tax measures.

In a new poll released yesterday, most Kenyans were of the opinion that the country is headed in the wrong directions citing among others the proposed taxes in the Finance Bill.

The study by Infotrak indicates that 63 per cent of Kenyans are not happy with the direction the country has taken.

Told to state the reasons for their opinion, the respondents mentioned the tax regime as well as the high cost of living in the country.

“Among the reasons mentioned that point to the country heading in the wrong direction, we had a high cost of living (45 per cent) and high taxes imposed on them (27 per cent),” the report indicates.

The study was conducted between May 23 and 29, 2024.

A total of 1,700 respondents were interviewed from all the 47 counties to ensure national representativeness.

From the poll, a paltry 19 per cent of the respondents agreed that the country is on the right track.

Interestingly, more than half of respondents from Central and Rift Valley regions believed the country is headed in the wrong direction.

In Rift Valley—the backyard of President Ruto—54 per cent said the country is on the wrong track.

In Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s Central home turf, the disapproval rate rose to 63 per cent.

From the findings, Nairobi leads at 74 per cent of the people who are of the opinion that the country is on the wrong path followed by Eastern region.

Sixty-eight per cent of respondents from Nyanza said the country is not in the right direction, Western (64 per cent), Coast (61 per cent) and North Eastern (47 per cent).

The study had +/-2.53 per cent margin of error and 95 per cent degree of confidence.

The study that was released on Thursday also indicates growing awareness on the Finance Bill with 54 per cent saying they are conversant with it.

Finance Bill spells how the government intends to raise money to finance the budget.

“A majority of respondents in the central region, 62 per cent, are aware of the Finance Bill 2024, unlike other Eastern regions (41 per cent), which scored the least in terms of awareness of the Bill. However, it emerged second at (59 per cent) in terms of awareness,” the report indicates.

“This is a clear indication of the rate of sensitisation and education that goes on in the regions in regard to the Bill.”

From the research, Kenyans expressed cost of living and runaway employment as their main concerns at 49 per cent and 30 per cent respectively.

“The cost of living and unemployment have been the prevalent and recurring issues of concern in recent polls conducted since August/September 2023 and February 2024,” the report states.

“Nyanza region stood out with the highest rating (60 per cent ) in terms of Kenyans who identified the cost of living as a key concern.”

“Other regions, including the Coast, North Eastern, Nairobi, Central, Rift Valley, Western and Eastern scored below average in terms of the cost of living. This regional variation underscores the need for targeted policies.”

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