Kenyans face significant challenges in accessing public services due to pervasive corruption, as recent data reveals the most affected sectors and counties.
The Kenya National Gender and Corruption Survey 2025 indicates that corruption is concentrated in critical service areas, particularly law enforcement, land administration, and health, where urgent needs and bureaucratic delays foster bribery.
Police services rank as the top bribery hotspot, with many incidents reported during encounters with traffic officers, arrests, and routine checks. For motorists and citizens, bribery has become a common method to avoid fines or expedite processes.
Land offices closely follow, with citizens seeking title deeds and dispute resolutions often facing substantial bribe demands due to complex procedures and long waiting times.
Health facilities also feature prominently, with patients reporting extra payments to access treatment or secure beds, a burden particularly heavy on vulnerable households.
The report highlights that corruption thrives in sectors where citizens have few alternatives and urgent needs. Urban counties, especially those with high population density like Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu, report higher bribery rates, largely due to frequent interactions with public institutions. Smaller counties also experience significant bribery, particularly in land and local administration services, attributed to weak oversight and transparency.
The average bribe size varies by sector; land-related services and procurement interactions typically attract larger payments than routine services. The frequency of bribery is highest in policing, where repeated interactions increase demand for bribes.
“Complex systems and weak accountability fuel corruption,” the report states, emphasizing structural inefficiencies that allow rent-seeking behavior to flourish.
For many Kenyans, the impact of bribery extends beyond financial costs to social consequences. Low-income households often spend a larger portion of their earnings on informal payments, sometimes forgoing essential services when unable to pay.
Despite widespread awareness of corruption, reporting remains low due to fears of retaliation, distrust in institutions, and perceptions that no action will be taken.
Efforts to combat corruption through digitization and policy reforms show promise, particularly in minimizing face-to-face interactions. However, the report warns that technology alone cannot address the issue without robust enforcement and accountability measures.
It recommends focused interventions in high-risk sectors and counties, including streamlining procedures, enhancing oversight, and improving transparency at both national and county levels. Protecting whistleblowers and rebuilding public trust in reporting systems are equally crucial.
The survey, conducted by the EACC in partnership with the UNODC-ROEA, NGEC, KNBS, and Transparency International Kenya, examined citizens’ interactions with public officials across all 47 counties. Using a nationally representative sample of 1,467 clusters of Kenyan adults aged 18 and above, the study reached 21,941 households, successfully interviewing 16,858.
Employing a cross-sectional mixed-methods design, the survey combined quantitative and qualitative approaches, collecting data through face-to-face Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) and conducting 20 Focus Group Discussions across 10 counties. Seven Key Informant Interviews and secondary data further enriched the analysis, which was based on a two-stage stratified cluster sampling design from the Kenya Household Master Sample Frame to ensure national representation.
