New survey shows strong support in Constitution, devolution five years on
What you need to know:
- Survey rates devolution as the biggest gain from the supreme law promulgated exactly five years ago on Thursday.
- Many of those interviewed said the electoral commission should be overhauled before the next election.
Kenyans on Thursday mark exactly five years since the Constitution was promulgated in 2010, with 50 per cent of respondents in a new poll saying they would not want the supreme law changed or that they were not sure whether it should be changed.
According to the poll, most Kenyans in all regions and across all political parties approve of devolution, an indication that it remains the biggest gain for citizens from the new law.
However, opinion was divided on whether health services should be managed by counties or by the National Government.
According to the findings of the poll conducted by Ipsos, 24 per cent of the Kenyans interviewed said they would not want the Constitution changed in any way.
Another 26 per cent said they were “not sure” whether they would want it changed at all, or in which way it should be changed.
The survey was designed to measure Kenyans’ attitude towards the supreme law. It also found that one in 10 respondents suggested changes that do not apply to the Constitution at all, an indication that a significant number of people lack sufficient knowledge about the supreme law.
CALLING FOR OVERHAUL
On the replacement of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, only one in 10 of the 2,002 respondents said they would want the commission replaced.
Disaffection with the electoral commission was higher among those who said they were Cord supporters, with 19 per cent saying they wanted the commission dissolved compared with just five per cent of Jubilee supporters who held the same view.
Cord leaders have been calling for an overhaul of the commission ahead of the next General Election in 2017.
Both Jubilee and Cord supporters shared the opinion that the number of elected officials should be reduced, with the poll showing a negligible difference across the political divide on this issue. The same trend was observed on the question of limiting salaries for elected officials, with respondents from both parties tying at five per cent.
Generally, there was overwhelming support for devolution across the political divide, with 82 per cent of all respondents giving it the thumbs up.
When asked, “Altogether, do you support devolution?”, 86 per cent of respondents from the Nyanza, Nairobi and eastern regions said an overwhelming “yes”. They were followed by western (85 per cent) and Rift Valley (83 per cent). Support for devolution was lowest in the coastal (79 per cent) central (78 per cent) and northeastern (57 per cent) regions.
DEVOLVED HEALTH
Overall, more Cord supporters (87 per cent) were happier with devolution compared with their Jubilee counterparts (82 per cent).
On the question of who should manage health services, 43 per cent of Cord supporters said the job should be done by counties, with 41 per cent saying it should go to the National Government.
However, 50 per cent of Jubilee supporters preferred the National Government, compared with 39 per cent who said counties should continue offering health services.
Interestingly, 45 per cent of respondents from the northeastern region said health should remain devolved while only 17 per cent thought it should be the job of the National Government.
A significant 15 per cent said the responsibility should be shared.
“Given such concern with costs, it is striking that there is such widespread support for devolution in general: more than three-quarters in all regions aside from northeastern (Kenya),” said Mr Tom Wolf, a research analyst at Ipsos.
It was not clear from the poll why devolution had such low support in the northeast.
