Drop in 'unga' price not enough, Bishops tell Ruto

The Anglican Church has raised alarm over the high cost of living that is pushing citizens to the edge, even as the Kenya Kwanza government maintains the economy has stabilised.

Speaking on Thursday during the 27th Ordinary Session of the Provincial Synod at All Saints Cathedral, Nairobi, the church’s top leadership dismissed the government’s position, insisting Kenyans are still reeling from economic hardship.

“While inflation has reduced from nine per cent to 4.5 per cent, unga prices dropped from Sh250 to Sh165, and tea earnings rose from Sh154 billion to Sh215 billion, the ordinary citizen is yet to feel the relief,” said Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit.

Sapit spoke after a meeting of the Synod, the church’s highest decision-making organ bringing together delegates from all ACK Dioceses. It comprises the archbishop, bishops, clergy and lay representatives.

The church’s concerns coincided with a new Infotrak poll released on Thursday, showing a majority of Kenyans believe the country has veered off the right path, citing the high cost of living.

According to the survey, 57 per cent of Kenyans feel the country is moving in the wrong direction. The pessimism was attributed to the high cost of living, unemployment, poor governance, ineffective medical cover and corruption.

At All Saints Cathedral, Sapit criticised the government’s reliance on what he termed “handout-style empowerment programmes”, warning they are discriminatory, unsustainable and have failed to address the root causes of economic struggles.

He said such schemes fuel frustration rather than addressing unemployment and rising living costs. “Although the economic outlook is broadly positive, it is subject to elevated uncertainties. The persisting culture of extravagance at both national and county government levels, as reported by the Auditor General, remains worrying,” said Sapit.

The Standard established that the bishops were unanimous that while the cost of unga had declined, other basic goods and services remain out of reach for the majority poor.

They criticised the use of unga as an index for measuring economic performance, arguing that the cost of essentials and services must also be considered.

“The purported low cost of living does not reflect the true reality. The ordinary Kenyans are not feeling that improvement; they are struggling when accessing healthcare and education, which remain expensive. A lot need to be done than just gauging the performance of the economy based on one item,” said one bishop.

The church urged government to adopt robust policies to spur grassroots growth where many citizens are struggling due to unemployment and deepening poverty.

Sapit said the bishops had reflected on issues affecting the church, its ministry and Kenyans at large. Emerging from the meeting, he criticised government’s “misplaced priorities” through empowerment programmes involving officials dishing out millions to women and youth groups.

“The level of unemployment among our young people is worrying and creating a sense of despair,” said the archbishop, warning that corruption, wasteful spending and mounting debt are eroding public trust.

The Infotrak survey mirrored these concerns, showing 57 per cent of Kenyans feel the country is moving in the wrong direction. Conducted between August 13 and 14, 2025, it revealed that 66 per cent of respondents cited economic hardship as the main concern since President William Ruto took over.

Unemployment ranked second at 30 per cent, followed by poor governance (15 per cent) and challenges with the Social Health Authority/Insurance (15 per cent). A further 48 per cent blamed corruption, poverty, extrajudicial killings, poor infrastructure, stalled projects, insecurity and tribalism.

Government successes were recognised by only 17 per cent of citizens, while 21 per cent could not say whether the country was headed in the right or wrong direction.

High cost of living was the dominant concern, cited by 66 per cent, with 63 per cent saying it is worse than last year. Unemployment troubled 36 per cent, while 27 per cent pointed to healthcare challenges linked to SHA/SHI. Corruption (25 per cent) and the high cost of education (21 per cent) also featured prominently.

For 16 per cent of Kenyans, the cost of living was somewhat higher, while 12 per cent reported no change. “The public’s perception of the country’s trajectory is overwhelmingly tied to economic pain at the household level, overriding any perceived successes in peace or stability,” said Johvine Wanyingo, Research Manager at Infotrak.

According to Wanyingo, the high cost of living is worsened by over-taxation, which burdens Kenyans’ pay slips at 40 per cent and deprives them of purchasing power, ranking ahead of global factors (19 per cent).

Government’s policies, including SHA/SHI, the Housing Levy and the New Education Funding Model, were also cited as contributing factors (16 per cent). Other issues were corruption (14 per cent), joblessness (6 per cent) and poor agricultural productivity (2 per cent).

“The high cost of living is a near-universal and worsening reality, with 79 per cent of Kenyans feeling it is higher than a year ago and 70 per cent rating it as High or Very High,” said the report.

Compared to last year, more Kenyans (66 per cent) feel the cost of living has increased, up from 43 per cent.

The Central region was most pessimistic, with 71 per cent of respondents saying Kenya is headed in the wrong direction. In Nyanza, 44 per cent cited education as the main concern, while in Nairobi and North Eastern it was 31 per cent each.

At the Coast and in Nairobi, residents were largely worried about joblessness, with 41 per cent adding that access to affordable education is becoming more difficult.

“A combination of 70 per cent of the issues are within the government sphere to address. The government faces a critical challenge to quickly deliver tangible improvements in living standards, particularly in price stabilisation and job creation, to reverse the dominant negative public sentiment,” said Wanyingo.