The majority of Mt Kenya and Rift Valley residents are struggling to make ends meet according to a survey released by Infotrak on Monday, January 22.
The survey published by the pollster indicated that in the two regions, over 70 per cent of the residents were either struggling or in severe financial distress.
Other regions where over 70 per cent of residents were in debilitating poverty include the Coast and North Eastern regions.
In Rift Valley where President William Ruto hails from, 73 per cent of residents were in dire need of economic support.
In Mt Kenya which covers the defunct Central Province and Upper Eastern, 74 per cent of the population required emergency financial assistance.
North Eastern and Coast led regions under severe financial distress at 78 and 76 per cent respectively.
“A majority of Kenyans (73 per cent) are either in severe financial distress or struggling to make ends meet,” the survey indicated further.
Of the total country’s population, 22 per cent of Kenyans stated that they were neither struggling nor comfortable.
Only 5 per cent of the nation’s population is living comfortably amidst the rising cost of living.
Infotrak stated that Kenyans who were surveyed indicated that getting a side hustle and reducing non-essential expenditures were their main coping strategies adopted to overcome economic hardships.
Further, the survey showed that 45 per cent of Kenyans are currently engaged in a side hustle to supplement their income while 41 per cent have reduced their expenditure on non-essential spending.
Infotrak reported that 18 per cent of Kenyans had taken out loans to plug the gaps. It was further indicated that 48 per cent of Kenyans had increased stress and anxiety due to economic hardships.
