Kenyans say President William Ruto’s performance in the first 100 days in office is slightly above average, even as they fault him for the high cost of living, rising food and basic commodity prices and delay in improving the lives of low income earners.
In a report released by Infotrak Research and Consulting yesterday, President Ruto has an average score of 52.1 per cent.
Kenyans polled in the survey said the President needs to enhance the war against corruption, ensure inclusion of marginalised groups such as youth, women, people with special needs and the elderly in government programmes and reduction of prices of key commodities like food and fuel.
“The President’s worst score, at 40 per cent, is in food security. The best score, at 56 per cent, comes from the establishment of the Sh50 billion Hustler Fund,” the report says.
The Fund, which targets low-income earners planning to establish businesses, has already lent out Sh10 billion, with Sh3 billion paid back since its launch on November 30.
The report says President Ruto has fulfilled nine of the 12 pledges he made during his inauguration.
These include returning port operations to Mombasa, appointing six judges rejected by his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta, setting up the Hustler Fund, allocating additional money to devolved governments and reforming institutions involved in justice, law and order.
The President also earned an above average score on establishment of a women rights agency in his office, increasing collection of taxes through the use of technology, implementing the two-thirds gender rule and ensuring fair appointment of women to senior public positions.
On the social front, President Ruto has scored above average in enhancing access to quality and affordable education and health care, enhancing accessibility to clean water, ensuring regional balance in government appointments and promoting security, peace, unity and cohesion in the country.
Regionally, Eastern Kenya rated President Ruto the highest at 65.7 per cent for returning port operations to Mombasa, with Central giving him the most marks for appointing the six judges that were rejected by Mr Kenyatta.
Eastern Kenya also ranked his performance the highest at 60.8 per cent for establishing the Hustler Fund, with North Eastern saluting his allocation of additional funds to county governments.
Nyanza, the political bedrock of Dr Ruto’s main challenger in the August presidential elections, was most dissatisfied with his failure to make food affordable and accessible as well as not lowering the cost of living, both under 40 per cent.
The highest score that Nyanza gave the President was 53.9 per cent (on returning port operations to Mombasa), which was still the lowest, even in that category, where Dr Ruto scored his highest mark.
On the high cost of living and apparent failure by the President to address it, Nairobi had the most dissatisfied residents compared to all the other regions.
The results are from interviews involving 840 Kenyans aged above 18 from all regions conducted on December 21 and 22.
The interviews, the research company said, were conducted through computer-assisted telephone calls, then analysed using statistical software for accuracy and reliability.
Sixty nine per cent of those interviewed reside in rural areas, with the rest coming from urban settlements.
Gender considerations showed fair balance, with 49 per cent being women.
The levels of education varied, with the highest population interviewed, at 47 per cent, having been to secondary school.
Only 12 per cent were in university or pursuing post-graduate studies, 15 per cent in college and 23 per cent in primary school.
Seventy nine per cent of the total interviewees were married, with singles being 16 per cent.
Just days ago, Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition chief Raila Odinga termed President Ruto’s first 100 days in office “a road to nowhere” and rated it at four out of 10.
The opposition leader said that because of unfulfilled campaign promises by President Ruto and his Kenya Kwanza brigade, Kenyans are worse than they were months to the General Election.
“Where Kenyans expected and deserved a massive stimulus package to bail them out of the devastating economic circumstances, they got hit with the cancellation of the subsidies that had cushioned millions from pain,” Mr Odinga said.
“Off went subsidies on petrol, diesel, electricity, paraffin and school fees in these first 100 days. Quietly, the administration did away with cash transfers to the elderly – Pesa ya Wazee – and took away the Linda Mama programme that covered maternal services for economically disadvantaged women.”
The President has, however, asked Kenyans to give him more time to deliver on his manifesto and campaign pledges, saying he is working to revive an economy “that has been built on a foundation of debt”.
