Uhuru ranks third among sub-Saharan leaders

President Uhuru Kenyatta flanked by Deputy President William Ruto and the Chief of Kenya Defence Forces, Gen. Julius Karangi, bids farewell to service commanders at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport shortly before departing for an official visit to Washington, DC, on August 03, 2014. PHOTO | PSCU 

By EVELYNE MUSAMBI

President Uhuru Kenyatta was ranked third among the best-performing sub-Saharan African leaders in a survey of presidential job approval ratings conducted by an international pollster.

President Kenyatta received a 78 per cent job approval rating, behind Mali’s President Ibrahim Keita, 86 per cent, and Botswana’s Ian Khama, 81 per cent, in the survey by Gallup.

Most African leaders attending the US-Africa summit this week received more than 50 per cent in their job approval ratings.

President Kenyatta was followed by Cameroon’s long-time president, Paul Biya, at 70 per cent.

“Among leaders who received some of the highest approval ratings in 2013, a few have been in office for more than two decades such as Cameroon's Paul Biya and Uganda's Yoweri Museveni,” stated Gallup.

President Kenyatta was ranked highly among respondents who were 45 years and above.

GENERATION GAP

Respondents aged between 35 and 44 years were less inclined to approve of his leadership, posting the lowest percentage of approval, 70 per cent.

The generational gap portrayed in the survey displayed a sharp contrast between Kenya and Nigeria.

“Younger Nigerians are the most likely to approve of the job performance of their president compared with all other age groups. In Kenya, those aged 45 and older are the most likely to approve of the job their president is doing.”

President Uhuru had been in office for less than a year when the poll was conducted in December 2013, while Mali’s Keta had just been elected four months before the survey.

President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo had the lowest ratings at 24 per cent, with most of his approval coming from those aged 35 to 44 years.

Malawi’s Joyce Banda, who is no longer in office, had a job approval rating of 51 per cent during her one term as the country’s president.