A new poll carried out to between May 28 and June 2 this year, has ranked the Kenyan Parliament (both the National Assembly and the Senate) as the worst-performing stakeholder during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The survey, carried out by Infotrak Research and Consulting, sought to capture the sentiments of Kenyans on issues revolving around the pandemic that has swept across the country, infecting 2,767 and claiming the lives of 84 individuals as at June 7.
Using Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI), citizens from across the country ranked the performance of 12 key players with Parliament emerging as the worst performers with a paltry 19%.
The full list from best to worst reads out as follows: Health Workers (77%), The Ministry of Health (67%), The Media (66%), The President (62%), Religious Organizations 42%, The Ministry of Interior 42%, The Private Sector (37%), The Government Spokesman (35%), The Police (34%), The County Governments (28%), The Judiciary (21%), and the Parliament which came in last.
Notably, the above rankings were classified under the 2nd wave of the pandemic of June 2020, with the 1st wave covering the previous months. However, even under the months preceding June 2020, Parliament was still the lowliest ranked body.
Interestingly, President Uhuru Kenyatta was ranked 2nd (59%) ahead of health workers 58%, during the 1st wave of infections.
The data was derived from a target sample of 1203 respondents covering 24 out of the 47 counties in Kenya, who were interviewed to represent the Kenya adult population.
“Could you please tell me how would you rate the overall performance of the following key stakeholders in dealing with the Coronavirus/Covid-19 outbreak so far,” reads the questions Kenyans used to air their opinion on the heroes and non-performers during the pandemic.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino was quick to distance himself from the shaming poll results.
“That is a unilateral report and I am exempted from it. You have seen my work that was even lauded by the United Nations. I have enriched our children’s brains,” he argued.
In March 2020, a Hansard reports focusing on the period between September 2017 and December 2018, sparked public uproar after it revealed that 45 legislators made less than 10 contributions in the plenary despite each one of them having drawn at least Sh16 million in salaries and allowances over that period.
Following yet another public outcry during the same period, The National Assembly adopted the Tax Laws Amendment Bill 2020, that was put forward by the President to offer employees earning less than Ksh 24,000 a 100% tax relief among other measures to cushion them from the adverse effects of the pandemic.
