A majority of Kenyans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, with economic hardship and the rising cost of living fueling growing public dissatisfaction, a new Tifa survey shows.
The survey, conducted between June 13 and 22 among 2,048 adults across all 47 counties, found that 76 per cent of Kenyans believe the country is moving in the wrong direction, the highest level recorded in Tifa’s tracking period.
Only 14 per cent said Kenya was moving in the right direction.
The latest findings represent a sharp deterioration from November 2025, when 68 per cent said the country was headed in the wrong direction.
Tifa said the figures point to a “sustained and increasingly entrenched negative public mood”, with economic conditions emerging as a major factor behind how Kenyans assess the country’s trajectory.
The survey found that 65 per cent of Kenyans said their personal or family economic situation had worsened since the 2022 General Election, while only 12 per cent reported an improvement.
The proportion saying they were worse off has remained relatively stable in recent surveys, standing at 67 per cent in November 2025 and 64 per cent in May 2026, before rising slightly to 65 per cent in June.
Tifa said the figures suggest economic pressure remains entrenched despite indications of some recovery.
The economic gloom is even more pronounced when Kenyans are asked about the country as a whole.
Sixty-five per cent described the economic situation as “very bad”, while only two per cent considered it “very good”.
Tifa also found a strong link between economic experiences and perceptions of the country's direction.
Among those who believed the country was moving in the wrong direction, 75 per cent said their economic situation had worsened since 2022, compared with 25 per cent among those who thought the country was moving in the right direction.
“Economic issues are not the total determinant of views about the country’s direction, [but] they certainly play a major role,” Tifa said in its analysis.
The survey further showed that the cost of living and lack of economic opportunities remain the dominant concerns for Kenyans.
Unemployment and poverty were cited by 44 per cent as the most serious problem facing the country, followed by inflation, high prices and high taxes at 25 per cent.
Combined, the two economic concerns accounted for 69 per cent of responses.
Corruption was a distant third at 19 per cent, while other concerns attracted relatively few mentions.
The findings suggest that while inflation remains a major concern, the longer-term challenge of poverty and lack of jobs continues to weigh heavily on households.
Tifa noted that unemployment and poverty had returned to the leading position after inflation briefly overtook it following fuel price increases in April and May.
Inflation/high prices/high taxes fell from 47 per cent in May to 25 per cent in June, while unemployment and poverty stood at 44 per cent.
The survey also highlighted the limited purchasing power of households, noting that only about 11 per cent of households reported monthly incomes above Sh50,000, while rising inflation had continued to weaken what Kenyans could buy with their earnings.
The research firm said the widespread perception of economic decline cuts across political affiliations.
The survey's findings are based on fieldwork conducted in June 2026 and Tifa cautioned that developments occurring during and after the fieldwork could affect public views if the questions were asked again today.
It drew on a nationally representative sample of 2,048 respondents across nine regions: Central Rift, Coast, Lower Eastern, Mt Kenya, Nairobi, Northern, Nyanza, South Rift and Western.
