TIFA Survey Shows Sharp Political Divide on Government, Media Freedom and Trust

A recent survey conducted by TIFA Research has exposed a stark political divide among Kenyans regarding government accountability, media freedom, institutional trust, and citizens' rights to protest. The survey, published on September 9, 2026, indicates that individuals who support the Broad-Based Government (BBG) have a more optimistic outlook compared to those who oppose it.

According to the survey, BBG supporters are more inclined to believe that citizens can freely criticize the government. Specifically, 34% of BBG supporters expressed that Kenyans have "a great deal" of freedom to criticize the government, while only 22% of BBG opponents held this view. A similar gap was observed in perceptions of media freedom, with 40% of BBG supporters believing there is "a great deal" of media freedom in Kenya, compared to 27% of BBG opponents.

The survey also revealed that political affiliation plays a significant role in Kenyans' trust in national institutions. A significant number of BBG supporters, 22%, expressed a "lot" of trust in President William Ruto. However, only 6% of BBG opponents shared the same level of trust. The findings were less pronounced when it came to trust in the Judiciary, with 11% of BBG supporters expressing "a lot" of trust, compared to 5% of BBG opponents.

The survey also highlighted a notable divide in perceptions of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). About 19% of BBG supporters reported having "a lot" of trust in the electoral agency, while only 6% of BBG opponents shared this view. This indicates that BBG supporters were more than three times as likely to assign the highest trust rating to the IEBC.

Despite these divisions, the survey found that there is broad support for the right to peaceful demonstrations, with 82% of respondents expressing support. However, there was a smaller difference in opposition to such demonstrations between BBG supporters (21%) and BBG opponents (12%).