Ruto Graded In First Year Of Office

President William Ruto on Tuesday, September 12 scored a 55 per cent overall rating in his first year of office, according to a new report by research firm Infotrak. 

In the report, the Head of State, who is nearing one year since assuming office on September 13, 2022, scored a grade C, spread across different approval ratings, with the majority being average at 40 per cent.

30 per cent of respondents rated Ruto's performance over the past year as poor, good at 21 per cent and excellent at 9 per cent.

President William Ruto speaking to residents of Meru County on September 10, 2023. /PCS

Across regions, Ruto achieved a 50 per cent approval rating in Nairobi across the eight counties sampled in the survey but managed a 33 per cent poor rating across the regions of Coast, North Eastern and Eastern.

27 per cent of respondents in the Rift Valley region handed President Ruto a 'Good' rating and 16 per cent 'Excellent' rating came from those in the North Eastern region.

40 per cent of both male and female respondents believed Ruto had an average performance during his first year as president, the same rating highest amongst 43 per cent in the age 46-55 years category.

36 per cent of respondents believed the President did poorly in his first year of office. However, fortunes changed in the 'good' category with 25 per cent among those aged in the over 55 years category, and 16 per cent in the same age group believing the President did excellently in his first year.

Across the Kenya Kwanza government in its first 10 months in office, the Ministry of Interior led by Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kithure Kindiki scored a mean approval rating of 56 per cent, followed by the Ministry of Education at 55 per cent, and the Agriculture and Roads dockets tying in third and fourth at 54 per cent each.

Treasury and Energy dockets received the lowest approval rating at 44 per cent and 43 per cent respectively.

Individually, Kindiki was ranked as the best-performing CS with 33 per cent, followed by Education CS Ezekiel Machogu at 13 per cent. Susan Nakhumicha (Health) was ranked third with eight per cent, while Kipchumba Murkomen and Mithika Linturi scored six per cent each.

Sports CS Ababu Namwamba garnered four per cent, while the ICT sector (Eliud Owalo) and Foreign Affairs (Alfred Mutua) each received a three per cent rating.

East Africa Community (EAC) CS Rebecca Miano was ranked the worst-performing CS at 0.1 per cent, bettered by Zachary Njeru (Lands) and Florence Bore (Labour) with a 0.2 per cent rating. 

Energy CS Davis Chirchir and his Cooperatives counterpart, Simon Chelugui, both scored 0.3 per cent.