Kenyan men plan Valentine splurge, but where’s the love?

Kenyan men are the least romantic in East Africa, a new study by Ipsos-Synovate shows as the world marks Valentine’s Day on Friday.

The findings show that about half of Kenyan men are not excited to mark the day of love compared to their Ugandan and Tanzanian peers who are looking forward to spoil their loved ones on Valentine’s Day.

Four out of every 10 men from the region’s largest economy plan to spend a maximum of Sh2,000 on gifts for their wives, fiancées or girlfriends.

The survey also shows that only 52 per cent of Kenyans expect the day of love to be romantic compared to 72 per cent of Tanzanians.

Ipsos-Synovate says the poor showing by Kenyan men on matters romance may be attributed to harsh economic conditions that has pushed up the prices of basic goods and services.

“The high cost of living may be impacting heavily on luxury spending amongst consumers in Kenya,” Ipsos-Synovate Kenya managing director Maggie Ireri said.

The findings highlight that Valentine’s Day will be clouded by President Uhuru Kenyatta’s economic measures – such as levying excise on keg and VAT on basic goods and services which has resulted in massive price hikes.

However, Kenyan men will Friday be expecting lavish gifts such as high-end shirts, ties, trousers and dinner outings from women.

The Valentine’s Day poll was carried out between February 7 and 10 this year in major urban centres in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

Ipsos-Synovate polled 1,050 respondents in Kenya, 1,006 in Uganda and 528 in Tanzania who were asked about their feelings and outlook about this year’s Valentine’s Day celebrations.

The study is likely to rekindle debate on the perception that Kenyan men are rather unromantic, compared to the ones from Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda.

The findings will be a disappointment to Kenyan women who named clothes as the top gift they are expecting, followed by rose flowers in second position.

The ladies will also be looking forward to chocolate, lunch or dinner rendezvous, travel out of town, ticket to a Valentine’s event, a bottle of wine, perfumes, lingerie, hand bags, shoes and jewellery.

The Nairobi county governor Evans Kidero has slapped flower dealers with high licence fees. The dealers will now have to pay Sh3,000 per day to sell flowers and gifts on the streets up from last year’s Sh200 per day.

This has seen prices for a stem of fresh cut rose flower more than triple to Sh100 from last year’s Sh30 with traders citing the increased licence fees.

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Ugandan women list flowers top with 37 per cent while 28 per cent of Tanzanian ladies are looking forward to receive romantic cards.

Valentine’s Day is traditionally marked with couples or lovers exchanging rose flowers, romantic cards and candy.

However, the study findings indicate that the day has also become a time to celebrate with family and friends.

Kenyan men only outshone their regional counterparts in their intention to splurge and buy gifts for their wives, fiancées and girlfriends.

Nine out of every 10 Kenyan men indicated that they would purchase a gift or have an activity to mark the Valentine’s Day compared to 88 per cent of those in Tanzania and 69 per cent of those in Uganda.

However, Kenyan men will be spending sparingly on the day, saying they have limited finances.

“The issue of finances as a barrier points out the need for Kenyans to be creative on how to be romantic this Valentine’s Day without spending much money,” said Ms Ireri.

This means Kenyans can explore visiting museums, leisure parks, national parks and holding family get-togethers to mark the day.

The men said they were also open to receiving flowers and “any gift that the ladies can think of”.

There are slightly more women in Kenya than men, with data from the 2009 population census showing that 50.3 per cent of Kenyans are female.