Four out of five Kenyans believe that the country is headed in the wrong direction, citing the high cost of living, overtaxation and poor state of healthcare, an opinion poll has shown.
The poll conducted by Infotrak Research and Consulting between August 13 to 14, 2025 shows that 57 percent of Kenyans believe the country under President William Ruto is facing a high cost of living, which has been worsened by overtaxation, with most households struggling to make a living.
Only 17 percent of Kenyans believe the country is headed in the right direction, citing the existing peace.
“The high cost of living is constant across. We conducted this research for the haves and have-nots meaning that this is the reality that we are facing. Most of them, at 40 percent, cited the over taxation by government as the main reason for this,” said Mr Johvine Wanyingo, Infotrak research manager.
The Central Kenya region leads those who say the country is headed in the wrong direction at 71 percent, followed by Western (62 percent), Nairobi (58 percent) and Nyanza (53 percent). The North Eastern region leads those who argue that the country is headed in the right direction at 24 percent, followed by the Rift Valley (21 percent).
For most Kenyans, the high cost of living at 40 percent was a major concern, followed by unemployment (36 percent), Social Health Authority/Social Health Insurance Fund (27 percent), and corruption within government at 25 percent.
The Ruto administration has put in place strategies to lower the cost of living, such as the provision of the fertiliser subsidy and boosting farmers' incomes. Mr Wanyingo, while releasing the data, observed that these policies may not have transformed into tangible benefits.
“Some of these policies such as the fertiliser subsidy introduced by the government did not transform to tangible benefits for the people. There is also the issue of public healthcare SHA failing to work and deliver tangible benefits. This means most Kenyans are spending out of pocket to fund healthcare yet there is a SHA in place,” he said.
Kenyans blame domestic policy choices by the government as the main driver of high cost of living. 40 percent point to taxes as the main driver, while 16 percent cite government policies and 14 percent corruption.
By contrast, only 19 percent attribute the squeeze to global economic factors such as fuel prices or supply chain disruptions
Unemployment follows at 36 percent, and while it is a national worry, it is the leading issue in Nairobi and the Coast, where 41 percent of residents identify joblessness as their greatest challenge.
Access to quality and affordable education ranks third at 31 percent, a priority voiced most strongly in Nyanza (34 percent) and Western (32 percent).
There is also a widespread unease surrounding the government’s controversial health reforms under the Social Health Insurance Fund, which 27 percent of respondents highlight as a key concern, with the sharpest anxiety in Central, Rift Valley, and Nyanza (30 percent each).
A quarter of Kenyans (25 percent) single out corruption, linking graft directly to the country’s economic woes, especially in Nairobi (28 percent), Nyanza (26 percent), and Western (27 percent). Other grievances, such as over-taxation, poor infrastructure, and extra-judicial killings, trail behind but still reflect the deepening discontent with both governance and daily survival.
A total of 2,400 Kenyans aged 18 and above were reached using computer-assisted telephone interviews. The sample was drawn proportionately from all 47 counties and eight regions, guided by the 2019 census to ensure national representativeness.
The poll achieved a 96 percent response rate and carries a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.
