Talking to five different Kenyan voters
The farmer, the boda rider, the mama mboga, the graduate and the salaried worker each hear a different argument. Match the message to the listener.
The same record persuades different people for different reasons. Lead with what touches the listener's own life.
The farmer
Fertiliser at Sh2,500 instead of Sh6,000. Coffee cherry at Sh110–160 instead of Sh60. Milk price up 35%. Sugar mills running again after a decade of silence. Ask what they paid for fertiliser in 2022 and let them do the arithmetic themselves.
The boda rider
The Hustler Fund gave 26 million Kenyans credit without collateral. New roads mean more routes. Ask them what a shylock charged before, and what 8% a year means by comparison.
The mama mboga
Unga down 23.3%. Group lending through the Hustler Fund for her chama. Cheaper produce because the harvest was bigger. She tracks prices more closely than any economist — give her the numbers and she will verify them.
The graduate
122,711 young people in digital jobs and 516,505 trained. 540,000 placed in jobs abroad through vetted government agreements. 76,000 teaching jobs. TVET funded and respected. Be honest that the market is still tight — then show what exists and how to access it today.
The salaried worker
This is the hardest conversation, because deductions rose. Be straight about it. Then: SHA covers dialysis, oncology and ICU that NHIF did not; the Housing Levy is refundable with interest and 112,405 units exist; inflation at about 4.5% means the salary holds its value; and a shilling at 129 rather than 162 lowers the cost of everything imported.