Kenyans have given mixed ratings on the government’s performance, with housing and roads emerging as the best-rated sectors while the fight against corruption, health services and the cost of living attracted some of the strongest criticism, according to a new Politrack Africa opinion poll.
The survey, conducted between September 15 and 25, 2026, found that housing and roads each received 16.3 per cent when respondents were asked to name the areas where the government had performed best.
Health services, including SHIF and SHA, came next with 13 per cent, while agriculture was cited by 10 per cent of respondents. Education received 4.7 per cent, followed by jobs and youth opportunities at 4.1 per cent.
Electricity and water services and security each recorded 2.4 per cent, while 3.8 per cent of respondents were unsure which sector had performed best.
However, the largest single response was from those who did not identify any sector as a success, with 25.6 per cent saying none had performed best.
The picture changed when respondents were asked where the government had performed poorly.
The fight against corruption recorded the highest negative rating at 19.2 per cent, followed by health services, including SHIF and SHA, at 18.4 per cent.
The economy and cost of living came third at 12 per cent, while jobs and youth opportunities were cited by 10.4 per cent of respondents.
Housing received a negative rating of 7.2 per cent, followed by security at seven per cent, education at 6.2 per cent and roads at 5.7 per cent.
Agriculture recorded 2.5 per cent, while 3.5 per cent of respondents were unsure which sector had performed poorly. Another 7.9 per cent said none.
The findings come as households continue to face pressure from rising prices. Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics showed annual consumer inflation at 6.6 per cent in August 2026, with food and non-alcoholic beverages recording inflation of nine per cent.
Transport recorded inflation of 15.7 per cent, while housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels recorded 3.6 per cent.
Concerns over the cost of living have also featured in earlier opinion polls. An Infotrak Voice of the People survey released in September 2025 found that 66 per cent of respondents who felt Kenya was headed in the wrong direction pointed to the high cost of living as the reason.
The same survey listed unemployment, poor governance, SHIF/SHA challenges and corruption among the concerns raised by respondents.
Corruption also remains a major concern in the latest Politrack findings. The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission’s 2025 National Gender and Corruption Survey found that 74.2 per cent of respondents rated corruption as high, up from 67.6 per cent in 2024.
The survey further found that 65.8 per cent believed corruption had increased over the previous 12 months, while 73 per cent said they did not believe the government was committed to fighting it.
On infrastructure and housing, official figures point to continued government spending in the two sectors.
The 2026 Economic Survey by KNBS reported that the total length of classified paved roads had reached 25,412 kilometres in 2025. Government spending on roads was estimated at Sh168.7 billion in the 2025/26 financial year.
Government expenditure on housing also increased from Sh79 billion in 2024/25 to an estimated Sh116.7 billion in 2025/26.
The construction sector grew by 6.8 per cent in 2025, according to KNBS.
Politrack also sought to establish how Kenyans viewed the country’s overall direction.
The survey found that 45.2 per cent of respondents believed Kenya was moving in the right direction, compared with 44.6 per cent who said the country was moving in the wrong direction. Another 10.2 per cent were unsure.
Politrack said the survey covered 20,419 respondents from all 47 counties, with sampling structured at county level to provide usable samples for both county and national analysis.
The research firm said respondents were reached through a text-based technology platform and answered the questions at their convenience.
For the national results, Politrack said it weighted the findings based on each county’s share of the 22,102,532 registered voters used as the weighting base.
The poll reported a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points at a 95 per cent confidence level.
According to Politrack, “citizens cited major successes in Housing and Roads (both leading at 16.3%), followed by Health services/SHIF/SHA (13.0%) and Agriculture (10.0%).”
On the sectors that attracted the strongest criticism, the research brief states that “areas recording the harshest public criticism included health services/SHIF/SHA management (18.4%), the fight against corruption (19.2%), and the economy/cost of living (12.0%).”