Kenya’s fight against corruption has taken a worrying turn, with the country sliding further down the global rankings in a damning new report released on Monday, February 10.
Kenya now sits at position 130 out of 182 countries in the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, marking a significant drop of eight places from last year’s ranking.
Released by Transparency International (TI), the report paints a grim picture for Kenya and the entire Sub-Saharan Africa region, which continues to be the worst-performing globally in tackling graft and public sector theft.
Kenya scored a dismal 30 out of 100 points, down from 32 points in 2024, signalling that the war against corruption is being lost despite years of reforms and anti-graft pledges.
The decline has occurred against a backdrop of rising public anger over major corruption cases that fail in court, the dropping of charges against influential figures, and what critics describe as entrenched impunity among the political elite.
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded an average score of 32 out of 100, with only 4 of 49 countries scoring above 50 points in the global index measuring perceived public-sector corruption.
Botswana, Rwanda, Cabo Verde, and Seychelles were the only African nations to cross the 50-point threshold, with Seychelles leading the region at 68 points, followed by Cabo Verde at 62 points.
The report shows that 10 countries in the region have significantly worsened since 2012, while only 7 have improved, highlighting a continent-wide struggle with endemic corruption and poor governance.
Sheila Masinde, the Executive Director of Transparency International Kenya, was blunt in her evaluation of the country’s worsening performance, attributing it to deep rooted systemic weaknesses that have enabled corruption to persist across government with little restraint.
“Kenya’s latest score indicates that corruption is no longer a series of isolated incidents; it has evolved into a sophisticated, resilient system that has permeated all levels of government,” Masinde said.
The TI-Kenya boss attributed the poor showing to weak enforcement of anti-corruption laws, particularly the leadership and integrity provisions in the Constitution that are meant to bar corrupt individuals from office.
“With few high-profile convictions secured for corruption cases coupled by the disturbing pattern of withdrawal of cases witnessed in Kenya, many offenders have escaped punishment thus perpetuating impunity,” Masinde added.
Globally, the picture is equally bleak, with the worldwide average score hitting 42 out of 100, the lowest level in over a decade, as even established democracies struggle with rising corruption levels.
Denmark topped the global index for the eighth consecutive year with 89 points, followed by Finland at 88 and Singapore at 84, while Somalia and South Sudan tied for last place.
The Kenya Kwanza administration has been accused countless times of rampant corruption across most institutions.
President William Ruto issued a strong warning to Members of Parliament, accusing some of them of turning parliamentary committees into “extortion rings” during the 2025 Devolution Conference in Homa Bay.
He stressed that said MPs have been demanding bribes from state officers, governors, and ministers in exchange for favourable reports.