- Close to nine in 10 Kenyans say they believe that “some” (15%) or “a lot” (73%) of the resources intended for the COVID-19 response have been lost to corruption (Figure 1). Only 2% think that none of these resources have been embezzled.
- About six in 10 (55%) say someone in their household lost a job, business, or primary source of income due to the pandemic, while 7% say a member of their household became ill or tested positive for COVID-19 (Figure 2).
- Nine in 10 citizens (92%) say their household did not receive pandemic-related assistance from the government, while only 8% report receiving it (Figure 3).
- Three-fourths (75%) say the government has done “fairly well” or “very well” in managing the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Close to three-quarters (72%) of citizens say that the distribution of government support to citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic was “somewhat unfair” or “very unfair,” while just 25% say the distribution was fair.
- Close to three in 10 Kenyans (28%) say they have been vaccinated against COVID- 19, while (43%) say they probably will. Three in 10 say they are “somewhat unlikely” (5%) or “very unlikely” (24%) to take the vaccine (Figure 5).
- Among citizens who say they are unlikely to get vaccinated, a majority cite concerns related to vaccine safety as the main reason for their stance: They don’t trust the vaccine or are worried about getting a fake or counterfeit vaccine (23%), they fear that the vaccine may cause COVID-19 or bad side effects (17%), or they think the vaccine was developed too quickly (15%) (Figure 6).
An overwhelming majority of Kenyans say that resources intended for the response to the COVID-19 pandemic have been lost to corruption, Afrobarometer survey shows.
About six in 10 citizens say someone in their household lost a job, a business, or a primary source of income due to the pandemic, but far fewer report receiving pandemic- related assistance from the government. Overall, many Kenyans are satisfied with government’s response to the pandemic, but they are less positive about government’s relief efforts, and many believe that the pandemic-related assistance was distributed unfairly.
The study also shows that about three in 10 say they are unlikely to get vaccinated, and many of them cite issues related to vaccine safety as the main reason for their stance.
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