Kenyans predominantly view 2025 as a neutral to negative year, with economic hardships and the death of Raila Odinga influencing their assessments.

Infotrak Research and Consulting conducted the poll on December 19-20, 2025, using computer-assisted telephone interviews with 1,000 adults aged 18 and above.

The sample, drawn proportionately from the 2019 Census across all 47 counties, carries a margin of error of ±3.10 per cent at 95 per cent confidence and a 99 per cent response rate. Analysts weighted the data for representativeness and processed it with SPSS 27.

Overall, 40 per cent describe 2025 as just average (not good or bad), 29 per cent as generally bad, and 12 per cent as terrible, combining to a 41 per cent negative lean. Only 19 per cent see it positively, with 5 per cent calling it excellent and 14 per cent generally good.

Regional variations stand out: North Eastern shows the most positivity at 49 per cent (22 per cent excellent, 27 per cent good), while Coast and Central report the highest negativity at 54 per cent each (40 per cent and 41 per cent bad, 14 per cent and 12 per cent terrible).

Nairobi holds the highest neutral sentiment at 53 per cent. By gender, males express slightly more positivity (6 per cent excellent, 16 per cent good) than females (4 per cent excellent, 12 per cent good), but females report more terrible views (16 per cent vs 8 per cent).

Views and challenges

Age groups differ too: those over 55 show the highest terrible rating at 11 per cent, while 18-26 year-olds lean neutral at 47 per cent. The death of Raila Odinga emerges as the top event shaping perceptions, cited by 30 per cent overall, peaking at 40 per cent in Western and Nairobi, and 37 per cent in Nyanza.

Gen Z protests follow at 12 per cent, cost of living at 11 per cent, politics and governance at 8 per cent, abductions and killings at 6 per cent, and financial hardship at 6 per cent. Economic stress fuels this outlook.

Unemployment ranks as the biggest household challenge for 26 per cent, high food prices for 25 per cent, school fees for 17 per cent, low wages for 14 per cent, healthcare costs for 8 per cent, rent/housing for 5 per cent, and debt for 5 per cent.