On Friday, March 24, Nairobi-based research firm Trends and Insights For Africa, also known as TIFA Research, released opinion poll results showing that 64% of Kenyans are opposed to the upcoming Azimio-led protests.
According to the polls, only 31% of Kenyans support the protests that started on Monday, March 20, 2023. 4% had no opinion.
“Among the public as a whole, nearly two-thirds (64%) opposed the planned Azimio demonstrations. Even among their supporters, only slightly over half (56%) expressed support for these protests,” the report reads in part.
Raila Odinga, the leader of the Azimio coalition has reiterated that the protests are aimed at lowering the high cost of living, compelling the government to open Independent Electoral and Boundaries servers and stop the recruitment of the new IEBC commissioners.
The research firm carried out a wide-ranging, face-to-face, household survey involving 2,065 respondents from March 11 to March 19, 2023.
The opinion polls undertook studies to understand the general sentiments about the country such as whether the country is headed in the right or wrong direction and, the reasons for their sentiments.
72% of the respondents believed that Azimio would not succeed in their declared goal of removing Ruto’s government from power.
16% of the respondents mentioned that Azimio would succeed in removing Ruto from office while 12% were not sure.
According to the polls, a majority of Kenyans think the country is headed in the wrong direction at 48% as opposed to 37% who think the country is headed in the right direction.
“Among the nearly half of Kenyans (48%) who consider the country’s current direction as wrong, more than two-thirds cite the high/increasing cost of living, with no contrast across the political-coalition divide (as well as those who identify with neither coalition),” notes the report.
Other reasons include drought, poor national leadership, and the high unemployment rate.
The report came a week filled with chest-thumping among those in the ruling Kenya Kwanza government and those in the opposition.
Both sides have ruled out dialogue or any form of handshake of March 2019 done by former President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga who led the opposition at the time.
