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Irene Githinji @gitshee

A new survey has shown that only four per cent of residents from Nairobi’s low-income areas have personally received cash disbursements, as part of remedial measures in the current Covid-19 disease period.

Effectively, that means a vast majority of Kenyans are yet to benefit from the various relief support offered by the government and well-wishers to mitigate the economic effects of the pandemic.

Another 11 per cent and 10 per cent said they have personally received relief food and masks respectively.

Trends Insight for Africa (TIFA) survey released yesterday also showed that a majority of respondents, 61 percent, do not know someone who has received cash disbursement.

Only 39 per cent, 49 per cent and 25 per cent said they personally know people who have received cash disbursements, relief food and masks respectively.

More females (40 per cent) than male (39 per cent) personally know someone who has received cash.

 “About one-third of all respondents personally know someone who has received relief food.

Only one-quarter know anyone who has received a mask. The survey did not ask how many such people were known, or how much any of them had received in terms of the three types of assistance,” the report indicated.

 As far as the outcome in the locality if no more assistance is received is concerned, 40 per cent said there is likelihood that there will be an increase in crime levels.

About 32 per cent said there will be increased hunger or even death from starvation if they do not receive assistance while 4 per cent of the respondents said it will lead to violent riots, attacks on police and other officials.

Crime levels

More men than women said there would be an increase in crime levels if residents do not receive assistance, the figures standing at 42 per cent and 39 per cent respectively.

“Nearly all respondents believe that either an increase in crime or hunger/starvation will result if people in their localities receive no assistance beyond what they already have.

Men are slightly more concerned with crime and protests, while women are more concerned with hunger,” showed the report.

The survey also showed that 33 per cent of respondent laud the Government for having done well in its containment efforts against coronavirus.

The findings showed that 48 per cent of respondents consider the Government to have done ‘somewhat well’ in containing the coronavirus while another 9 per cent said it has ‘not done well at all’.

“There has been a slight decline in the proportion who consider that the Government ‘has done very well’ in combating the virus since Round One, and a slight increase in the proportion of those of the view that it has done ‘not well at all’,” the report showed.

In the first round, Government scored 40 per cent with regards to containing the disease and 46 per cent said it had done ‘somewhat well’.

There is widespread agreement that Government has performed better at combating the virus than it has at providing assistance to the needy.

Specifically, nearly twice as many feel it has done ‘very well’ regarding combating the virus at 33 per cent than those holding the same view regarding assistance, which scored 17 per cent.