On Covid-19 distress, Kenyans have suffered the most, finds new report

Kenyans have suffered the most due to Covid-19 distress, a report has shown.

According to a survey by GeoPoll, Kenyans are suffering more financial and emotional stress from the Covid-19 pandemic than other African nations.

The survey sought to find out the emotional and financial well-being of Africans across six nations.

The survey, conducted in six countries, revealed that Kenya is reporting the most widespread income cuts and distress of any of the nations polled in November.

The survey, conducted in Kenya, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, DRC, Mozambique and South Africa, found 43 per cent of 3,000 respondents reported their emotional wellbeing had deteriorated during 2020. But, a full three-quarters of respondents in Kenya said their emotional health was worse than last year, with most citing a surge in financial pressure as the main cause.

Greater financial hardships

"For, while incomes have fallen nearly everywhere, both between March and June, and by more still since June, more people have been affected by severe cuts in earnings in Kenya than in the other nations. Around 52 per cent of the respondents across all six nations reported a large drop in earnings since June, but 64 per cent of respondents in Kenya suffered the same," it revealed.

The study on the impacts of Covid-19 across several African nations, found that those who were struggling the most were in the countries which had enacted more severe restrictions, leading to greater financial hardships and in turn increased emotional stress. Those in Kenya, which is experiencing a second wave of cases, and South Africa, which has had the highest number of reported cases across Africa, reported higher levels of distress.

Roxana Elliott, Vice President of Marketing for GeoPoll said Kenya had a far greater degree of disruption to normal routines compared to South Africa, which also has had a lockdown.

“South Africa had a lockdown early in the pandemic, but measures there have since eased, and the other nations polled have had fewer long-lasting restrictions. Only Kenya has had extensive restrictive measures throughout, delivering economic cuts,” said Elliott.

Elliot said across all six countries, 50 per cent of respondents reported their routines had been changed a lot by the pandemic, but, in Kenya, 66 per cent reported considerable changes to routines.

“The prolonged disruption of routines in Kenya, combined with a larger second wave of infections than seen in many other countries, and a greater economic impact, have brought a general level of distress and anxiety to the national psyche that is reflecting across people’s attitudes and decisions,” said Elliott.