The Ipsos survey reveals differing perceptions among Kenyans regarding foreign relations and their impact on the country's development, showing the U.S. as the most valued partner, ahead of China. Results highlight a political split, with Jubilee supporters favoring China over the U.S., while Cord supporters show the opposite view. Concerns about political threats indicate that both China and the U.S. are seen negatively, with distinct responses depending on political affiliations.

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Nairobi, Kenya
4th May 2015
Ipsos’ 1st
Quarter SPEC (Social, Political,
Economic and Cultural) Survey:
Fourth Media Release
Foreign Relations: Perceived Impact on Kenya’s Development
 US-China global super-power rivalry evident in Kenyans’ perceptions of development
needs and concerns.
Introduction
As U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry continues with his high-level meetings, he may be
interested to know who Kenyans consider are their most valuable development partners, as
well as which foreign countries outside the immediate East Africa region whose perceived
interests in Kenya cause them most concern. These realities formed part of Ipsos’ most
recent national survey.
Results
The survey shows that such perceptions are highly coloured by national political alignments.
On the ‘friend’ side of the equation, the U.S. easily scores highest, a full 12% ahead of the
next most positively-viewed country, China: 35% vs. 23%.
“Which foreign country outside of East Africa do you think is most
important for Kenya to have good relations with in order to achieve our
development goals?”
(By Total, Supporters of the Main Political Parties/Coalitions)
Country
Total
(n=1,964)
CORD Supporters
(n=623)
Jubilee Supporters
(n=867) % Difference
USA 35% 47% 29% -18%
China 23% 13% 33% +20%
UK 7% 11% 4% -7%
Japan 6% 6% 6% 0%
South Africa 4% 4% 5% +1%
Germany 3% 3% 3% 0%
Nigeria 1% 1% 1% 0%
Russia 1% 1% 0% -1%
Sweden 0% 1% 0% -1%
France 0% 0% 1% +1%
Ghana 0% 0% 1% +1%
DK 11% 5% 12% +7%
None 3% 3% 2% -1%

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Yet when the results are filtered through those Kenyans who identify with either of the two
main political alliances (including any of the affiliated parties), a clear split emerges, with the
ruling-coalition Jubilee supporters somewhat more positive about the Chinese than the
Americans: 33% vs. 29%. These figures stand in stark contrast to CORD, where the
Americans win hands-down: 47% vs. 13%.
By contrast, the UK, the country with which Kenya has perhaps the closest ties (in both
economic and military terms, at least up to the present), scores far below either of the two
super-powers: at just 7%, though again, a clear contrast in partisan terms emerges, with
nearly three times more CORD supporters vouching for the British than do Jubilee-backers:
11% vs. 4%.
Reversing the question, respondents were also asked which foreign country (again, outside
the immediate East African region), they feel constitutes the biggest threat to the country’s
political and economic development.
Here, China and the U.S. receive almost equal (negative) ratings, with the former holding a
slight (dis-) advantage: 28% vs. 21%.
Moreover, once again a clear contrast emerges in terms of coalition alignment. For CORD
loyalists, China is clearly the biggest worry (35%), while the Americans are most unsettling
to those of Jubilee (28%), even if a substantial proportion of each also worry about the
“Outside of East Africa, which country, if any, constitutes the biggest
threat to Kenya’s economic and political development?”
(By Total, Supporters of the Main Political Parties/Coalitions)
Country
Total
(n=1,964)
CORD Supporters
(n=623)
Jubilee Supporters
(n=867)
%
Difference
China 28% 35% 22% -13%
USA 21% 16% 28% +8%
UK 5% 4% 5% +1%
Germany 3% 3% 3% 0%
Japan 3% 4% 3% -1%
Russia 1% 1% 1% 0%
Sweden 1% 0% 1% +1%
Nigeria 1% 1% 1% 0%
South Africa 1% 1% 1% 0%
Israel 0% 1% 0% -1%
Saudi Arabia 0% 1% 0% -1%
Netherlands 0% 0% 1% +1%
Other 2% 2% 2% 0%
Invalid 6% 7% 5% -2%
DK 20% 15% 18% +3%
None 7% 9% 7% -2%

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‘other’ great power: 22% of Jubilee supporters regarding the Chinese, and 16% of CORD
supporters about the Americans.
Comment
Because the survey did not go beyond these responses to ask why respondents hold the
views they do on this subject, any explanation must be left to speculation.
On the one hand, the U.S. is the home to a substantial Kenya diaspora population,
estimated at over 100,000. Moreover, according to Ambassador Njeru Githae, Kenyans
living and working are responsible for 85% of the total Shs 120 billion the Kenyan economy
receives in remittances from the Kenyan diaspora worldwide.
An additional factor in these ratings, however, maybe the perceived position of the
‘international community’ over Kenya’s cases (now remaining just one) at the International
Criminal Court. On this issue, where only 22% of CORD supporters want the single
remaining (Ruto-Sang) case to be dropped, an overwhelming 68% of Jubilee’s backers do
so, their positions being reversed in terms of wanting the case to continue: 55% vs. 17%.
Such contrasts may explain why both the U.K., whose High Commissioner expressed
support for The Hague process before the election, and the Netherlands (where the Court is
located, and whose government has been intensely involved in attempting to protect
Prosecution witnesses) received more negative ratings from the Jubilee side, however small
these are.
Finally, regarding both ‘friend’ and ‘foe’ ratings, China may have won points mainly for its
highly visible involvement in major infrastructure projects (e.g., highways, railway), though
the fact the its most senior diplomats in Kenya have also expressed opposition to the ICC
may also have contributed to the distribution of these perceptions as revealed in the survey.
Based on these findings, the question arises as to whether future cooperation between the
U.S. and Kenya regarding the al-Shabaab threat will significantly alter the public’s
perceptions must remain for future surveys to reveal. In this regard, it should also be
recalled that many Kenyans have argued since the 1998 Embassy bombing (if not from the
Norfolk Hotel bombing in 1980), that it is Kenya’s ‘proxy’-association with the West’s global
‘war on terror’ that has attracted the wounds from which the country has continued to bleed.
Survey Methodology
The target population for this survey was Kenyans aged 18 years and above, of whom 1,964
living in urban and rural areas were interviewed. The margin-of-error attributed to sampling
and other random effects of this poll’s sample size is +/- 2.2 with a 95% confidence level.
The fieldwork for this survey was conducted between 28th
March and 7th
April 2015. Data
was collected through face-to-face interviews using hand held devices (smart phones). Ipsos
Limited (Kenya) funded the survey.
For further details on this press release please contact:
Dr. Tom Wolf Victor Rateng
Research Analyst Opinion Polls Project Manager
tpwolf1944@gmail.com victor.rateng@ipsos.com
Tel: 386 2721-33 Tel: 386 2721-33
www.ipsos.co.ke www.ipsos.co.ke