Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Prof Kithure Kindiki is the best-performing CS so far, an opinion poll released by TIFA on March 29, 2023, has shown.
Kindiki was ranked the best at 26 per cent, followed by his education counterpart Ezekiel Machogu at 10 per cent. Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi was ranked third with four per cent followed closely by Youth Affairs, Sports & the Arts CS Ababu Namwamba who had three per cent.
Agriculture & Livestock Development CS Mithika Linturi closed the list of top five CSs, with three per cent of Kenyans siding with him.
Those who voted for Kindiki gave various reasons including improvement of security (34 per cent), reducing crime and banditry (28 per cent), bringing peace (eight per cent) and being hard-working six per cent).
“Among those respondents who indicated they could rate any member of the Cabinet (83%), most (26%) mentioned Prof. Kithure Kindidi (Interior) as the “best performing” so far. The only others with more than a handful of mentions were Ezekiel Machogu (Education – 10%) and Musalia Mudavadi, Ababu Namwamba and Mithika Linturi following (with 4%, 3% and 3%, respectively ). In terms of supporters of national coalitions, far fewer supporters of Azimio offered any names at all, with the same applying to those who professed to supporting neither coalition,” the TIFA report stated.
“Whatever the case, it is unclear by what criteria such evaluations were made, aside from the media coverage they have been given lately due to the pressing issues facing their ministries.”
Other findings by TIFA
Kenyans pointed out the launch of the Hustler Fund as the most significant achievement of President William Ruto’s government. 29 per cent felt that Hustler Fund was Ruto’s most notable achievement. About five per cent felt that stabilizing the cost of fertilizer was Ruto’s best achievement while four per cent pointed out enhancing national unity/cohesion as the best achievement.
37 per cent pointed out increased economic hardship as Ruto government’s biggest failure, followed by failure to keep campaign promises (14 per cent) and increased corruption/dropping of major corruption cases (nine per cent).
“In terms of its perceived failures, there is widespread agreement that continuing if not increasing economic hardship is at the top of most Kenyans’ minds, though it seems that much of the content of “campaign promises” that are considered yet to be fulfilled is also of an economic nature,” the report noted.
“At the same time, fully one-fifth of Kenya Kwanza supporters (21%) fail to attach any failure to it, as compared with less than one-third that figure (6%) among Azimio supporters who likewise fail to blame it for anything.”
In the next five years, respondents said they want the government to focus on reducing the high cost of living (71 per cent), creating jobs (49 per cent), improving the education system (22 per cent) and reducing government expenditure and public debt (19 per cent).
Out of the households surveyed, TIFA found that about 17 per cent almost always sleep hungry, while 29 per cent sleep hungry only once in a while. 51 per cent never sleep hungry while three per cent are not sure.
The high cost of living is the biggest problem facing Kenyans at 48 per cent followed by hunger/drought at 25 per cent and unemployment at 13 per cent.
“For the country as a whole and across the current political divide, there are hardly any contrasts in terms of what are identified as the main problems people are facing in their local areas, with the high cost of living, hunger/drought and unemployment being by far the most frequently mentioned,” TIFA noted.
