TIFA Survey: Finance Bill 2025 has worsened the cost of living
By Joel Masibo, September 11, 2025A new report has revealed that Finance Bill 2025 is perceived as worsening the cost of living and eroding personal finances for most Kenyans.
While the government may argue it enables better services, very few citizens share that view. The overwhelming takeaway is that the bill is deeply unpopular due to its direct impact on daily expenses, income, and economic plans.
In a statement on Thursday, September 11, 2025, regarding the latest findings, TIFA said; ”New bill has increased the cost of basic goods and services (e.g., food, transport, utilities) to 82 per cent. The bill has also increased taxes on my salary or income to 31 per cent.”
According to the research, the new Finance Bill has reduced disposable income or savings to 21 per cent. More people have reported the difficulties in running or sustaining businesses, rated at 19 per cent.
According to the survey conducted between August 23 to September 3, 2025, Finance Bill 2025 has also increased the cost of living by 16 per cent by allowing the government to increase/improve public services (i.e., health, education, security. It has also contributed to the delayed or forced cancellation of personal plans (e.g., school, travel, investment) at 12 per cent.
In total, 65 per cent of Kenyans have admitted being affected negatively by the new finance bill, 31 per cent were not affected by the bill, while 3 per cent of Kenyans are not sure of the impact of the new finance bill in relation to the cost of living.
The survey covers the economic realities faced by Kenyans as well as the situation in the country more generally, including several aspects of government policy and performance.
It also includes findings related to political alignment and the 2027 election. Certain of these results are then correlated with views about so-called Broad-Based Government (the BBG). Doing this at least partly answers the question as to the underlying bases for the contrasting views about the BBG (aside from various ‘identity’ factors).
The findings are based on a TIFA national survey conducted between August 23 and September 3, 2025. According to TIFA, its researchers interviewed 2,023 randomly selected Kenyan adults across all 47 counties, capturing views on household economic realities, government policy, political alignment, and expectations ahead of the 2027 general election.
TIFA noted that subsequent political and economic developments may have influenced public opinion since the survey period, but said the results provide an accurate snapshot of Kenyan attitudes at the time.