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Kenya’s corruption crisis entrenched, new survey shows
Impunity remains a major driver. TI-Kenya noted that major corruption cases rarely result in convictions, with some collapsing or being withdrawn before conclusion.
Kenya’s battle against corruption is entering a troubling phase, with new international data indicating that graft is not only persistent but increasingly entrenched.
Findings from the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) reveal a country caught in a cycle of reforms without tangible results, where institutions tasked with enforcing accountability remain weak, and public confidence continues to erode.
Compiled annually by Transparency International (TI), the CPI is widely regarded as the world’s leading indicator of public sector corruption. It ranks countries on a scale from 0 to 100, where zero represents highly corrupt systems, and 100 indicates very clean governance.
The index aggregates expert assessments and business surveys from multiple independent institutions, standardises them, and calculates an average score for each country, allowing comparisons across nations and over time.
In the 2025 edition, Kenya scored 30 out of 100, down from 32 in 2024 and 31 in 2023.
Over the past 13 years, the score has fluctuated between 25 and 33, showing little real progress despite repeated anti-corruption drives.
Such stagnation signals structural problems rather than isolated scandals, suggesting reforms have not fundamentally changed how power and public resources are managed.
“This year, the score dropped by two points. The country’s score has largely oscillated between 25 and 33 over the last 13 years, indicating high levels of corruption and stagnation in the fight against corruption despite several legislative and institutional reforms,” said Transparency International-Kenya (TI-Kenya).
TI-Kenya Executive Director Sheila Masinde attributed the stagnation to systemic weaknesses embedded across governance structures, adding that corruption has become normalised within procurement, budgeting, licensing and regulatory processes.
“Kenya’s latest score indicates that corruption is no longer a series of isolated incidents; it has evolved into a sophisticated, resilient system that permeates all levels of society and government, undermining democracy, the rule of law, transparency, and accountability,” she said.
Impunity remains a major driver. TI-Kenya noted that major corruption cases rarely result in convictions, with some collapsing or being withdrawn before conclusion.
Weak prosecution and stalled investigations allow influential suspects to escape accountability, reinforcing the perception that political influence can override justice.
Legal safeguards exist, including constitutional leadership and integrity provisions intended to bar individuals implicated in wrongdoing from public office. However, gaps in enforcement have undermined these protections, lowering standards and eroding trust in oversight bodies.
“To decisively deal with corruption, anti-corruption laws, particularly the leadership and integrity provisions, must be fully enforced to ensure that only individuals who meet the constitutional bar for leadership occupy public office,” Ms Masinde said.
The CPI findings place Kenya within a broader regional challenge.
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded an average score of 32, the lowest-performing region globally, with only four countries above 50. While regional conditions partly explain Kenya’s position, comparisons show improvement is possible: Rwanda scored 58 and Tanzania 40, outperforming Kenya, whereas Uganda (25) and Burundi (17) scored worse.
Globally, Denmark leads with 89 points, followed by Finland (88), Singapore (84), New Zealand and Norway (81), and Sweden and Switzerland (80).
At the bottom are South Sudan and Somalia (9), followed by Venezuela (10), Yemen, Libya, Eritrea (13), and Sudan and Nicaragua (14). The worldwide average stands at 42, the lowest in more than a decade, with over two-thirds of countries below 50. Declining scores often coincide with shrinking civic space and restricted freedoms of expression and association.
Francois Valerian, Chair of Transparency International, called for national and multilateral cooperation to protect the public interest and tackle shared challenges like corruption.
“We need to protect a rules-based global order grounded in transparency, accountability to citizens, and respect for human rights,” he said.
Although the CPI measures perception rather than verified incidents, perception carries real-world consequences. Investors, development partners, and diplomatic allies rely on such indices to assess governance risk. A declining score can reduce foreign investment, raise borrowing costs, and diminish global credibility.
