What Kenyans are most worried about today

By , K24 Digital
On Sun, 7 Jun, 2020 13:11 | 2 mins read
Kenya’s debt stands at 65.6% of the gross domestic product and the national treasury is in the process of seeking another Ksh252.9 billion from the IMF. [PHOTO | FILE]
A busy street in Nairobi, Kenya. PHOTO | FILE
Kenya’s debt stands at 65.6% of the gross domestic product and the national treasury is in the process of seeking another Ksh252.9 billion from the IMF. [PHOTO | FILE]

The coronavirus pandemic, food security, and unemployment top the list of 10 issues that Kenyans would like the government to address a matter of priority.

According to a poll conducted by Infotrak, nearly half of the respondents contacted for the national survey identified COVID-19 pandemic and food security as the top issues facing the country.

"47 percent and 45 percent of Kenyans rated Covid-19 and food security/poverty as the most important issues facing Kenya followed by unemployment (35 percent)," the Infotrak report revealed.

But half of the study respondents in Coast and Eastern provinces rated food security and poverty as the most urgent issue that should be dealt with.

Further, nearly 4 out of 10 Kenyans still think it's better to take their families upcountry to protect them from COVID-19.

The study also found out that the level of concern on coronavirus has increased by 17 percent since April with 67 percent now worried about the pandemic compared to 50 percent.

Despite that, there is an 11 percent of respondents, many of them young rural men who indicated that they are no longer worried about Covid-19.

Most of the respondents who said that they were more worried than before are from Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western, and Central Kenya regions.

Nearly 40 percent of the people in Central feel that the worst is yet to come while a similar number in Eastern and North Eastern feel Kenya has already gone through the worst.

Many Kenyans are, however, very concerned that the country does not have enough medical equipment and hospital beds to cope with a large scale outbreak.

Should the virus persist, an overwhelming majority are deeply concerned that they will not be able to make ends meet.

Other concerns Kenyans are worried about in the fight against the virus are a failure by people to adhere to government directives, lack of awareness about the disease, and corruption.

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