As President William Ruto marks two years in office, a new survey shows a sharp decline in public trust in his government and key state institutions.
Infotrak Research and Consulting carried out the Nationwide Perception Study between November 16 and 30, 2024, painting a troubling picture of governance in Kenya.
The study, which surveyed 2,400 respondents across all 47 counties, found that only a small fraction of Kenyans trust the current executive.
Only 1% of those surveyed said they had full trust in President Ruto and his Cabinet.
Another 28% reported moderate trust, while 29% expressed little confidence in the government.
The majority, 37%, said they had no trust at all in the President, Deputy President, or Cabinet.
These findings reflect growing disillusionment with the country’s leadership. One respondent attributed the distrust to unfulfilled promises by the current administration.
“The waning public trust in our institutions is a result of, one, over-promising and two, failure to fulfil those promises. I think the current leaders came into office with many promises.
Some of these promises were realistic, while others were unrealistic.” Respondents also suggested key reforms they believe could restore trust in the executive and other state institutions.
Half of those surveyed (50%) said stronger anti-corruption measures were the most important, while 22% highlighted the need for qualified leadership.
Additionally, 34% pointed to strengthening institutional independence, and 45% stressed the need for more transparent elections to restore confidence in the government.
The survey also showed that while trust in the government is at an all-time low, the media enjoys relatively higher levels of public confidence.
Fifteen per cent of respondents expressed full trust in the media, compared to just 7% who trust religious leaders and 4% who trust civil society organisations.
Other key institutions like the judiciary, police, Senate, opposition leaders, and the Office of the Auditor General received only 2% trust ratings.
The judiciary’s trust ratings, in particular, are worrying, with just 2% of respondents expressing full trust in it.
Thirty-four per cent said they had moderate trust in the judiciary, 27% had little trust, and 30% expressed no trust at all.
This reflects broader concerns about governance and the state of democratic institutions in the country.
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