Police Service maintains its 'most corrupt' status in new report

The National Police has once again been named as the most corrupt institution in the country following the release of a new report by Transparency International.

The report also finds a high prevalence of corruption in the Judiciary and the Ministry of Lands.

Police remain the most prone to bribery with a score of 72 per cent, with the Judiciary and land services ranking high on the average size of bribes.

The implication is that while bribery is registered in all the sampled institutions, the magnitude of the vice within the police service is much larger.

The report highlights corruption levels in various sectors: land services (64.6 per cent), civil registration (62.4 per cent), education services (55.8 per cent), and business licensing (54.5 per cent), with almost 40 per cent of the total bribes reported paid to the police.

The report points to a deep-rooted corruption culture within the police force.

The Judiciary recorded the highest average bribe amount per respondent across all public services at Sh18,800, suggesting that accessing justice remains heavily compromised by financial barriers.

The education sector was not left out, as it has seen a rise in the prevalence of bribery from 7.9 per cent in 2017 and 2019 to 10.2 per cent in 2025, according to the report.

Only 17 per cent of victims of these bribery incidents reported their experiences in 2025, up from 6 per cent in 2017, with 83 per cent of citizens stating a lack of confidence in law enforcement agencies as the primary reason for not reporting—an issue raised by 47 per cent of respondents.

There is an observable deterioration in tax services by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and Huduma Centre services between the 2025 and 2017 surveys, with an aggregate index rise of over 15 points. Medical and health services also registered a similar magnitude of deterioration.

It is possible that the shift of more government services to the digital space and the expansion of Huduma Centres may have led to more public interaction and, therefore, a higher probability of bribery practices.

The government has been more aggressive in revenue collection over the last few years, which may create opportunities for bribery by taxpayers or bribe demands by tax officers.

The report, titled 2025 Kenya Bribery Index & County Government Status Report, was launched by Transparency International Kenya (TI-Kenya) with support from the Embassy of Sweden in Nairobi on Thursday.

The survey covered 1,033 respondents across 15 counties, targeting adult Kenyans aged 18 years and over, chosen through simple random sampling methods.

Transparency International Kenya has been collaborating with county governments in Kenya to promote the vision of transparent, accountable, and effective governance at the local level.

One of the strategies has been evidence generation to identify areas of strength and advocate for better governance.

The County Governance Status Survey 2025 is a follow-up to similar surveys conducted in 2019 and 2017, examining the state of governance at the county level from the perspective of various key stakeholders.

According to the report, elected leaders at the county level remain largely inaccessible to citizens, with the public’s understanding of their leaders’ constitutional roles remaining limited. This poses a disconnect in effective leader–citizen engagement, diminishing the citizen oversight role, accountability, and service quality.

A growing public despair over corruption is alarming, with the fight against it evident in the recent demonstrations agitating for justice and seeking job opportunities for the youth.

In the report, the body recommends remedies such as: prioritising digitisation and automation of government services most prone to bribery to reduce face-to-face interactions—particularly in high-risk sectors such as the police, land services, health, and education—and enhancing and sustaining civic education, as well as implementing effective anti-corruption strategies.

Since its debut in 2003, the Global Corruption Barometer has surveyed the experiences of everyday people confronting corruption around the world. Tens of thousands of people globally are asked about their views and experiences.