NAIROBI,Kenya– The high cost of living remains the biggest concern for Kenyans, according to the latest Voice of the People poll released by Infotrak for August 2025.
The survey shows that 40% of respondents ranked the cost of living as their most pressing issue, followed by unemployment at 36%, the ongoing Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) and Social Health Authority (SHA) rollout at 27%, corruption at 25%, and the high cost of education at 21%.
“The public’s most urgent concerns are all related to welfare and economic management, with basic affordability emerging as the overriding theme,” the report notes.
Regional variations are also evident. While the cost of living is the top concern nationally, unemployment emerged as the leading issue in the Coast and Nairobi regions.
SHIF/SHA issues ranked highly in Central, Rift Valley, and Nyanza, underscoring uncertainty around healthcare reforms.
“Interventions need to be regionally specific, with job creation programs for urban and coastal areas, while national attention remains on price stabilization and clarity in SHIF implementation.”
The poll also highlights rising anxieties around social welfare.
The report warns that the prominence of healthcare and education in the top five issues points to a looming welfare crisis as citizens struggle to secure access to affordable services.
Meanwhile, corruption, cited by one in four Kenyans, remains a central grievance.
The report indicates that many citizens directly link graft and poor governance to the wider economic hardships being felt across the country.
With barely two years to the 2027 General Election, the findings underscore the scale of public pressure on policymakers to prioritize cost relief, jobs, and accountability in governance.
