About half of Kenyans who have attended political rallies since the 2022 General Election were paid or given material incentives, according to a new survey by research firm TIFA.
The survey shows that nearly half, or 49 percent, of respondents who said they had attended at least one political rally since the last election reported receiving money, food or other “thank-you” incentives either before or after the event.
TIFA found that such payments were most common in Lower Eastern and Nyanza regions, where 66 percent and 65 percent of rally attendees respectively said they were compensated. The lowest levels were reported in the South Rift and North Rift regions, at 34 percent and 32 percent.
The report notes that it is difficult to determine how many people would attend political rallies if such incentives were not offered by organizers.
“Rather more opponents of the BBG (and those with no opinion about it) report receiving such a ‘thank-you’ for attending such rallies than do its supporters. (Note, however, that respondents were not asked the political affiliation of these rallies),” the report states.
According to the survey, about one-quarter of Kenyans said they have attended at least one political rally since the 2022 election. Of these, 23 percent said they attended only one rally, while 46 percent reported attending two or three rallies. Another 26 percent said they had attended four or more rallies, with a small number saying they could not remember how many they had attended.
Among those who said they received something for attending rallies, two-thirds, or 67 percent, said they were given cash only. A further 17 percent reported receiving both cash and food.
The survey also shows that among those who received only cash, about half were paid between Sh101 and Sh500. Nearly a quarter received between Sh501 and Sh1,000, while around one-fifth said they received more than Sh1,000.
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