87% of Kenyans have reduced personal expenditure due to cost of living – TIFA poll
87% of Kenyans have reduced personal expenditure due to the high cost of living the latest TIFA poll has shown.
According to the poll, the main categories of reduced expenditure due to the high cost of living include transport (15 per cent), clothing (nine per cent) and entertainment (eight per cent).
"Among income-earners (at whatever level), the vast majority mention food as the main purchase item/category they have had to reduce expenditure on recently due to inflation. This holds true for those in all three income categories, although those somewhat more affluent (earning above Ksh20,000/-) have had to do this a bit less than those earning least (below Ksh5,000/-: 79% vs. 88%), while the second most common decrease among the former has been on transport (which also applies to those in the middle income-category: 19% for both)," TIFA stated in their report.
84 per cent of Kenyans believe that the current economic conditions have become worse as compared to last year while 8 per cent believe the conditions are the same. Seven per cent of Kenyans believe the economic conditions have become better as compared to last year.
TIFA reveals challenges facing gov't
According to the poll, the main challenges facing the Kenya Kwanza government include inflation/cost of living, corruption, public debt repayment, opposition pressure and the declining value of the Kenyan shilling against foreign currency.
"Given the fact that reducing the cost of living was such a major part of Kenya Kwanza's successful 2022 election campaign, its continued rise helps to explain why more Kenyans cited it as the main challenge the Government currently faces (39%). After that, those aligned with the Opposition are more likely to mention corruption - a governance failing that can be attributed to leadership (19% vs. 12%), whereas three times as many Government as Opposition supporters cite the burden of debt repayment, especially since Kenya Kwanza leaders have continued to blame this challenge on the previous government (which sought to ensure that an Odinga-led government would succeed it)," the report noted.
"Similarly, three times as many Government supporters attribute the Government's failures to "Opposition pressure" (6% vs. 2%), another factor for which it does not control, and thus cannot be directly blamed for."
The majority of Kenyans (59 per cent) purchase most of their food at shops and/or kiosks, far more urban dwellers do so as compared with those living in rural areas (83 per cent versus 46 per cent).
"Yet among rural dwellers, only about half rely on their own shambas as their main source of such consumables (49%), which presumably gives them at least some protection from the constant recent increase in the cost of living," the report added.
