Ukambani MPs defend Ruto, term TIFA poll misleading

Cy Muganda 13th September, 2025 12:05 PM

Caption:Ukambani MPs defend Ruto, dismiss TIFA poll as misleading. VIDEO/K24TV

A section of Ukambani legislators has dismissed the latest opinion poll released by Trends and Insights for Africa (TIFA), terming it misleading and designed to drive a political narrative against President William Ruto’s administration.

The leaders, who spoke on Friday, September 12, 2025, during a boda boda empowerment drive at NYS Grounds in Yatta constituency, hosted by area MP Annastacia Muendo, instead defended Ruto’s development record and accused pollsters of ignoring voices from rural Kenya.

Poll credibility

In her address, Kitui South MP Rachel Nyamai questioned the credibility of the survey, arguing it did not reflect the reality on the ground as she was not consulted in the survey.

“TIFA has asked questions and said things are bad in Kenya, but I was not even asked. Why wasn’t I asked? Because if TIFA had asked me, I would have told them there is something called SHA that is working, which our President decided to implement what was planned to be done by Kibaki,” Nyamai said, referring to the Social Health Authority.

Watch: Majority of Kenyans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction -TIFA

Mwala MP and UDA national organising secretary Vincent Musyoka Kawaya, on the other hand, accused TIFA of using polls to promote fake narratives designed to undermine the government.

“These opinion polls, some of them are clearly meant to drive a certain narrative,” Kawaya stated.

He challenged the historical accuracy of opinion polls in Kenya, noting that previous surveys had predicted victories for opposition leader Raila Odinga, who never won.

“Every survey has always shown Raila Odinga leading, yet he has never won,” Kawaya said.

Also watch: Mt Kenya bears brunt as survey shows deepening economic pain under Ruto

The Mwala MP emphasised that Ruto enjoys strong support in rural areas, which he claimed are not adequately captured in opinion polls.

“President William Ruto is a grassroots person. The people who are most affected are those who are at the bottom. The rural setting. You people in Nairobi do your business there in Nairobi. When will you come to the grassroots? Where things are different,” Kawaya said, adding that critics of the administration could not claim to speak for boda boda riders and ordinary Kenyans without engaging them directly.

TIFA survey findings

The MPs’ remarks came a day after TIFA released its national survey conducted between August 23 and September 3, 2025, involving 2,023 respondents across all 47 counties.

According to the poll, 65 per cent of Kenyans said they had been negatively affected by the Finance Bill 2025, citing the increased cost of living and reduced disposable income.

”The new bill has increased the cost of basic goods and services (e.g., food, transport, utilities) to 82 per cent. The bill has also increased taxes on my salary or income to 31 per cent,” TIFA said.

The survey also showed that nearly three-quarters of Kenyans (73%) felt the government was not doing enough to address extra-judicial killings and abductions.

On politics, the findings indicated that the broad-based government, formed under the Ruto–Raila cooperation framework, faced growing public rejection, with opposition rising from 54 per cent in August to 64 per cent in September.