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Coalition to last until 2012, says poll

NAIROBI, September 8 – A majority of Kenyans think that the coalition government will survive until the 2012 General Election, according to a new opinion poll released on Monday.

The Gallup survey says 56 percent of respondents were optimistic the unity government would hold, against 18 percent who think it would collapse before the five-year term ends.  Twenty one percent of those interviewed could not predict the coalition’s fate.

The survey also showed that most Kenyans were satisfied with the way President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga were working. “63 percent approve of the job performance of the Cabinet under the leadership of the two against 33 percent who disapprove,” said Gallup lead researcher Robert Tortora.

He explained that those who believed the coalition would not hold cited lack of political will and ethnic divisions within the government.

Fifty two percent of Kenyans wanted the government to prioritise issues on alleviation of poverty, according to the poll that was conducted between June 19 and July 9.

“Kenyans want inflation, unemployment, food shortage and land reforms to be speedily tackled,” Tartora stated.

Other issues the public wanted addressed include constitutional reforms at nine percent, while seven percent wanted the resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons, and the improvement of education in the country.

In relation to Parliament, Tartora said 67 percent approved of the way the House was handling its business.

National Assembly Speaker Kenneth Marende who was present when the poll results were released, expressed optimism that the 10th parliament would deliver to the expectations of Kenyans.

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Marende said the House was more liberal and should accomplish a lot.

The Speaker said the Members of Parliament would be working hard to ensure the country got a new constitution before the next general election.

“Parliament has got its focus right and up to where we are, we have delivered and probably in the next opinion poll we should be rated far much better,” Marende said.

The team interviewed 2,200 people across all the provinces.

Since 2006, Gallup has conducted a World Poll annually in over 150 countries.  The polls cover 95 percent of populations aged 15 and above.

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