Why 86% of Nairobians Did Not Celebrate Christmas As Usual - Infotrak Survey

A photo of jobseekers queuing on Wabera Street, Nairobi, waiting to be interviewed by The Sarova Stanley on May 26, 2018.
Jobseekers queuing on Wabera Street, Nairobi, waiting to be interviewed by The Sarova Stanley on May 26, 2018.
Daily Nation

A survey finding by Infotrak Research released on Thursday, December 31, showed that 86 percent of Nairobi residents did not celebrate the festive season as usual.

The survey revealed that six out of 10 (61 percent) could not afford to spend on Christmas festivities as is the norm due to a downturn of economic activity brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.  

Infotrack Research data showing why many Nairobians did not celebrate festive season as usual.
Infotrack Research data showing why many Nairobians did not celebrate festive season as usual.
File

20 percent of the respondents, however, indicated that the decision to go slow on this year's celebrations was because they felt they needed to protect themselves and families from contracting the virus and hence avoided public gatherings.

12 percent, on the other hand, blamed the state's decision to stay the dusk to dawn curfew as a reason why they had avoided celebrating the festive season as they did in previous years.

Out of the 800 people who responded to the survey, 18 percent noted that they were most concerned about unemployment in 2020 while 13 percent revealed that they were affected by the high cost of living.

10 percent were concerned with poor access to healthcare, 7 percent were worried about corruption while 6 percent were concerned about the Covid-19 pandemic.

Previous data estimated that over 5 million people could have lost their source of income in the first eight months after the pandemic hit the country in March 2020.

In the face of the adversity, however, 27 percent of Kenyans were optimistic that the economy would improve in 2021 while 15 percent hoped that many Kenyans will get the Covid-19 vaccine.

14 percent hoped that their finances would improve in the coming year, 10 percent were looking to secure employment while 9 percent hoped that their businesses would grow as a result of the economic recovery.

In 2020, the Coast region faced extreme difficulty at 72 percent followed by Nyanza, 64 percent, Nairobi, 62 percent, while Western and Eastern tied at 61 percent.

At the beginning of December festivities, many travel companies registered low upcountry bookings as transport charges spiked due to the pandemic hardships.

Infotrack Research data showing 86% of Nairobians did not celebrate festive season as usual.
Infotrack Research data showing 86% of Nairobians did not celebrate festive season as usual.
File
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