Press release
How Lagos people's lives been impacted under lockdown?
Report of Survey on Life Situation Under Corona in Kenya
April 25, 2020
Africa Business Partners
https://africabusinesspartners.com/
contactus@abp.co.jp

How have Africans' lives being impacted, and how are they coping through these Corona crises?
Africa Business Partners conducted a survey in Kenya (Nairobi Metropolitan) and Nigeria (Lagos)
through its online survey system. Here is the result.

This survey was conducted one week after the Nairobi metropolitan area entered lockdown (which
implemented a travel ban and dusk-to-dawn curfew) on April 6th. Respondents are Nairobi metroarea residents who were subjected to the lockdown.
1Despite being inconvenienced by the lockdown, Nairobians seem to have a high level ofconfidence in the government’s infection control measures. 28% of respondents answered that thegovernment’s infection control measures were very effective, while 53% judged them to be fairlyeffective. In Kenya, Cabinet Secretary for Health Mutahi Kagwe, along with other government
officials, are conducting daily briefings to disclose facts and data such as the number of confirmed
cases, and announce further measures being taken by the government.
It appears that Nairobians are following the government’s recommendations. Approximately 90%of the respondents answered that they are washing their hands more frequently, and over 60%
report that they are wearing masks and following social distancing guidelines. However, theportion responding that they are completely self-quarantining in their homes remain at 16%.

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Despite the high level of confidence in infection control measures, 73% of respondents aredissatisfied with the government’s level of financial assistance. The Kenyan government rapidly
announced measures such as a 2% VAT reduction, income tax exemption, and various assistanceprograms, but the majority consider these to be insufficient.

3This, of course, is due to the impact on household incomes since the outbreak began. There havenot been widespread layoffs, so many of those who are employed have been able to maintain theirincome. However, self-employed workers and casual workers have been impacted by curfewprompted restaurant closures, temporary closures of storefronts, and reduced foot traffic due tosocial distancing. 18% reported that their entire household income has dropped to zero, 41%
answered their household income has been lost more than half.
There are also many whose businesses have been impacted prior to the first domestic case, due toexports grinding to a halt from the spread of the virus in China.

Over 70% of the respondents indicated that their top concern is that they may become infected by
the coronavirus. The spread of the virus across the globe is a source of anxiety for Kenyans, despite
the regular threat from other diseases and the dangers of daily life. However, because the situation
feels less personal due to the low number of cases, many Kenyans appear to be concerned about
the possibility of infection in itself, as opposed to the possibility of death of themselves or family
members from severe complications.
4Another top concern is the loss of income or the country falling into an economic downturn. ForKenyans, there are the more immediate, imminent threats.

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Mobile money dominates at over 70% as something that Kenyans either began to use, or began touse more of, due to the coronavirus. As there are virtually no Nairobians new to mobile money
technology, this can be interpreted as an increase in usage. This is possibly influenced by6

Safaricom, the largest telecom provider, removing fees for transactions under 1,000 KSH in
response to the government promoting the use of mobile money to reduce infections.
This is followed by the use of online communication tools, such as WhatsApp and Zoom. With over
50% of respondents avoiding in-person meetings, it appears that communications have migratedonline.

Looking forward to May, the proportion answering that the situation will be “largely resolved” is37%. Though media outlets are repeatedly reporting future projections as high as 10 million casesand 300,000 deaths across Africa, Kenyans seem to have a more optimistic outlook, likely based on
the currently low case count.

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The respondents of this survey meet the following two criteria: own a smartphone or anotherdevice with internet connection; ability to read English. Approximately 50% reported householdincomes of 25,000 KSH or below. The majority are in their 20s and 30s, and given that the medianage of Kenyans is 20.1 and that the 20s-to-30s demographic dominate at 64% of the population, it
can safely be said that they are amongst the majority.

Survey overview
Methodology: Online survey of panels (members) via the Africa Business Partners survey system.
Area: Lockdown areas of the Nairobi metropolitan area (Greater Nairobi: 37%, Nairobi East: 22%,Nairobi South: 13%, etc.)
Sample size: 119 ss
Period: April 12, 2020 - April 14, 2020
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Africa Business Partners
Africa Business Partners is incorporated in 2012 in Japan to support and advice for businessexpansion between Japan and Africa. The company has its companies/partners in Kenya, Nigeria,
Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, and South Africa. The company provides business matching, sales andmarketing, advisory services for M&A, and investment support to African, Japanese and otherinternational companies for their business growth in Africa.

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