Corruption and insecurity have tainted Kenya’s profile despite the country ranking among the top 10 best-governed countries in Africa.
The latest Mo Ibrahim Foundation’s Index of African Governance (IIAG) ranked Kenya 10 out of 54 African countries with an overall governance score of 61.0 out of 100, placing it well above both the continental average (50.1) and the Eastern Africa regional average (47.5).
Overall Governance combines scores across four main dimensions: Security and Rule of Law; Participation, Rights and Inclusion; Foundations for Economic Opportunity; and Human Development, covering 16 sub-categories, drawing on 96 indicators built from data produced by 51 sources.
‘The 2026 IIAG results highlight Africa’s resilience in a challenging global environment. They also show that many countries manage to achieve economic and human development despite deterioration in security and rule of law,’ said Mo Ibrahim, chairman and founder, Mo Ibrahim Foundation.
‘But this is not a sustainable trade-off. Economic and social gains will not last, and will anyway always be weaker, without progress in security, rule of law and participation.’
The ranking marks Kenya’s first entry into the top 10 bracket. This was an improvement compared to the 12th-place ranking in 2013 by the same report.
The report puts Kenya amongst countries that are ‘slowly improving’ with quantified growth of +2.5 points, above the continental average.
Despite the top-10 placement, the report highlights areas where Kenya lagged or faced headwinds.
Participation and Human Rights was Kenya’s lowest-scoring category at 56.2 percent, reflecting ongoing challenges regarding civic space, rights, and public participation.
‘Kenya’s weak areas: The country ranks lower in Security and Safety (41st) and Anti-Corruption (27),’ the report reveals in part.
The broader report cautions that while economic and human development indicators have improved, several African nations face slowing or reversing trends in Security and Rule of Law.
Abductions and deportation of citizens from neighbouring countries have not gone down well with the Human Rights groups in the region, contributing to its poor performance in the rankings.
Political goonism has emerged as a critical governance and security threat in Kenya as the country approaches the August 2027 General Election.
Independent assessments, human rights bodies, and international groups warn that organised political gangs are increasingly commercialised and deployed to shape the political landscape through intimidation.
Watchdogs like the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) have flagged goonism, political intolerance, and the misuse of AI/social media as core threats to democratic integrity.
‘KNCHR is gravely concerned about the increasing number of reported fatalities and the wider reports of incitement, intimidation, destruction of property, obstruction of movement, attacks against journalists and the alleged mobilisation of organized groups in connection with political activities in the Country,” said KNCHR Chairperson, Claris Ogangah.
Despite the insecurity and corruption setback, Kenya has been ranked amongst the top 10 countries in Africa in terms of overall governance, entrenching the country’s competitiveness.
In this regard, Kenya’s most significant improvement came in the dimension of Infrastructure (+17.5), with Kenya the most improved country over the decade.
This is mainly due to advancements in Access to Energy (+30.5) and Internet and Computers (+30.8).
Decent Housing performance also more than doubled over the past decade, increasing by +33.4 points.
This can be attributed to the affordable housing program that began in former President Uhuru’s tenure and was picked up by current President William Ruto.
Kenya’s strong performance in the ‘Human Development and Inclusion’ index did not go unnoticed.
Kenya recorded its highest category score in Human Development, reaching 67.1 percent, driven by steady improvements in social protection, education, and health outcomes.
It ranked particularly high in specific sub-sectors, placing 5th in Africa for Education.
The country also made gains in the ‘Sustainable Economic Opportunity and Tax Mobilisation’ category.
Kenya scored heavily in Tax and Revenue Mobilisation, ranking 10th in Africa in that specific sub-sector with a score of 67.9 out of 100.
This represents a 4.6-point improvement since 2016, with the report classifying Kenya under the “Increasing Improvement” category because the pace of its revenue collection and fiscal progress has accelerated since 2021.
Kenya also excelled in the Rural Economy (ranking 3rd) and Business and Labour Environment (ranking 5th) relative to its overall governance standing.
The report is based on 10 years (2014-2024) and covers various dimensions that contribute to the overall governance score.