NAIROBI, Kenya Dec 15 – Deputy President William Ruto is the most vocal critic against the Jubilee government where he serves, a new poll has shown.
The study by TIFA that interviewed 1,519 Kenyans shows that Ruto has criticised the government of President Uhuru Kenyatta more than any politician in recent times. Those who said Ruto is the most critic represent 36 per cent.
TIFA Research Chief Executive Officer Maggie Ireri says most of the respondents in the study conducted between November 7 to 13, believe media reports which claim that the DP has been excluded from “at least 70 per cent of the important decisions, made during Jubilee’s second term.
“Ironically, the President’s decision to transfer many of Executive branch coordinating responsibilities to Internal Security Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi has given the DP even more time for his seemingly tireless campaign activities, with his rhetoric increasingly aimed at his boss, or at least at priorities that he considered as deviating from key promises they jointly made to Kenyans during their 2017 campaign such as the Big 4 Agenda,” she said.
DP Ruto has repeatedly told his supporters that the March 2018 cooperation pact or ‘handshake’ between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga derailed the Big Four agenda, which he now says he is ready to accomplish if elected president next year.
The research found that most Kenyans continue to believe that the official Opposition can at least partly hold the Government to account through exposure and criticism.
Ireri said the finding were interesting especially because it established that 40 percent of the respondents could not correctly identify ODM as the current official Opposition party.
“More than a quarteR admitted they do know which party is occupying this role (27%) and nearly one-in-five giving an incorrect answer (UDA/Other;18%). Interestingly, the substantial minority who mention UDA (14%) as evidently unaware this new party has only one MP following the recent Kiambaa by-election,” the study noted.
The poll shows that 6 per cent of the respondents believe that no such party is playing this role given that this is a constitutional designation.
70 per cent of those who identified themselves as ODM supporters believe that an active opposition party can help reduce the misuse of resources and the violations of laws and the Constitution by the Government. 65 per cent and 63 per cent of ruling Jubilee and UDA supporters held the same view.
Similarly, 64 per cent of those who said that they are not affiliated to any party believe that an active opposition party can help reduce the misuse of resources and the violations of laws and the Constitution by the Government.
32 per cent of the same cluster believe even an active opposition cannot help reduce the misuse of resources and violations of laws and the Constitution by the Government.
Meanwhile, the TIFA poll found that 31 percent of 1,519 Kenyans polled believe that government resources will be used to block Ruto’s quest to succeed President Kenyatta in next year’s general election.
The study says that respondents were clear that the resources will be used in favour of Raila,’ with hardly (1 per cent) anyone expecting the DP to be the beneficiary of such resources.’
“However, more than one-quarter are unsure about this issue (27 per cent), and a substantial proportion either declined to answer the question or gave irrelevant responses (22 per cent), suggesting their unease with the subject,” read the study.
Nine percent of the respondents said the government resources will be used to ensure election integrity, fairness and peace.
Seven per cent of those polled expressed confidence that the public resources will be used to manipulate results but they were unclear on the purpose.
The poll found that nearly identical responses among supporters of Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) (33 per cent) and ODM (31 per cent) believe government resources will be used in favour of Raila against Ruto.
