That six in 10 Kenyans feel the country is headed in the wrong direction should concern President William Ruto and those in his administration, who should quickly devise ways to address the concerns.
In a poll by Infotrak Research & Consulting, 62 per cent of the respondents thought Kenya was headed in the wrong direction with an overwhelming majority (73 per cent) citing the high cost of living. Besides the cost of food and other aspects of life, other pressing concerns were listed as high taxes, unemployment, poor governance, bad politics, poverty, drought, rampant corruption, poor quality education and insecurity.
The poll, having drilled down to the very specific issues making the interviewees see Kenya as not headed in the right direction, is a helpful reflection of things on the ground and the revelation of where it hurts most in the shoes worn by ordinary Kenyans.
The prices of food, electricity, fuel and other household commodities have increased in recent months, and more Kenyans are suffering.
The government should take these Kenyans seriously and actively and urgently work towards addressing their concerns, especially on the rising costs of basic commodities.
There is also the aspect of high taxes, corruption, insecurity and unemployment, which, compounded with the skyrocketing cost of living, often make life unbearable for many, and who are now looking to the government to cushion them.
Based on President Ruto’s election campaign promises, on whose basis he was elected, Kenyans are, understandably, waiting for results and the first place where the shoe pinches most is how much they have to dig into their pockets to buy basic household necessities.
Dr Ruto was elected on a platform of change and a promise of making lives easier for the common man—the “hustler”. There is no better time for him to do that than now.
