New poll shows a significant drop in crime countrywide

A newly released poll shows the level of crime in the country has significantly dropped over the last three months.

The survey released Thursday by IPSOS Synovate  shows that crime is down to 5% from 9%.

The report also shows that most Kenyans support the continued presence of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in Somalia.

The report released on Thursday reveals that  the proportion of Kenyans who had been victims of crime “in the last three months” had dropped from 9% to just 5%.

In the past, however, significant regional variations are seen: from a high in Nairobi (14%) to lows in Central, Nyanza and Rift Valley (3%, 3% and 2%, respectively).

However, mistrust in the police remains high.

Among the victims of crime, only half (51%) reported crime incidents to the police, a figure in the middle of the reporting-range over the last ten years.

On the issue of Somalia and the threat posed by of Al Shabaab, 76% of Kenyans consider the terror outfit a “very great threat”.

The survey also asked respondents to comment on the impact of the KDF deployment in Somalia and whether the move will make Kenya safe.

The country appears almost evenly split, with just a modest majority (57%) favoring this policy.

In regional terms, a clear contrast emerges, however, with support for it in Central considerably higher than in the next most supportive region, Rift Valley (62%), with North Eastern and Western  at 39% and 37%, respectively).