A report released by Tifa Research on Tuesday, July 4, revealed the worst provisions of President William Ruto's inaugural budget according to Kenyans.
The survey, which highlighted economic issues affecting the country, noted that both government and opposition supporters raised concerns about the increase in Value Added Taxes (VAT) on petroleum products (25 per cent and 28 per cent respectively).
Another key provision was the removal of subsidies on basic foodstuffs including maize which 10 per cent voted against.
The housing program garnered a four per cent approval rate as the majority disliked the scheme. In particular, 69 per cent did not support the Housing Levy while only 24 per cent voted in favour of the programme.
Out of these, 54 per cent of Kenyans expect that those who contribute to the housing levy will not own a house while 11 per cent believed that the Kenya Kwanza administration would keep its promise.
On the other hand, Kenyans lauded Ruto's efforts in allocating Ksh628.6 billion in the education sector - translating to 17 per cent of the 2023/24 budget.
Further, three per cent also heaped praise on the subsidised farm inputs as well as other agricultural support. In Ruto's budget, Ksh5 billion was allocated for fertiliser programme.
25 per cent of the respondents perceived that the purpose of the budget was to raise revenue and reduce debt collection.
Ten per cent, on the other hand, believed that its role was to increase development and improve services while 6 per cent observed that the budget's aim was to reduce the gap between the rich and poor.
Monthly Income
According to the survey, 13 per cent of Kenyans earn between Ksh10,000 and Ksh20,000 while ten per cent account for those who earn between Ksh20,000 and Ksh50,000. On the other hand, three per cent earn above Ksh50,000 and 24 per cent noted that they earn below Ksh10,000. 38 per cent stated that they did not draw any salary in 2022.
Nearly one-third of Kenyans, who are currently jobless, revealed that they were never employed (31 per cent), with 8 per cent indicating that they lost their jobs.
Most of those working are self-employed (29 per cent), while 11 per cent work on a full-time basis.
