Ruto and Gachagua Score ‘D’ and ‘E’ in Recent Infotrak Survey

On Friday, December 29, 2023, President William Ruto and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua were assigned grades ‘D’ and ‘E’ respectively in their performance, according to a report released by the research organization Infotrak Harris.

The report gave President Ruto a rating of 47% (or grade ‘D’), while Mr. Gachagua garnered 36% (or grade ‘E’).

Ironically, both received these grades despite emphasizing their efforts to improve the direction of the country.

Read also: Kioni Accuses Ruto of Blocking Initiatives to Ease Cost of Living

Other key government institutions also received a ‘D’ rating, with the organization stating that a significant number of Kenyans have lost faith in the effectiveness of these entities.

The Cabinet was given a rating of 48%, the National Assembly (48%), the Senate (42%), the Judiciary (47%), the Police Department (45%), the Opposition (48%), County Governments (47%), and County Assemblies (45%). All these institutions received a ‘D’ grade.

Simultaneously, three-quarters of Kenyans expressed a sense that the country is heading in the wrong direction.

According to the survey, this sentiment increased from 55% in December 2022 to 61% in December 2023.

The report highlighted that a majority of Kenyan women (64%) and young people aged between 18 and 25 (almost 70%) feel pessimistic about the country’s direction.

In total, only 18% of Kenyans feel that the country is heading in a positive direction, with 17% stating that nothing is changing. Four percent said they don’t know the direction the country is heading, while 0.1% refused to provide any response.

This contrasts with the situation in the previous year when only 16% of Kenyans felt the country was on a positive trajectory.

“Based on these results, it is clear that many Kenyans felt that 2023 was a particularly challenging year for them compared to 2022,” said the Chief Executive Officer of the organization, Ms. Angela Ambitho.

Regionally, the Nyanza and Western regions have the highest percentage of Kenyans who believe the country is heading in the wrong direction, with 72% and 69% respectively.