TI Kenya: Judiciary emerges as costliest institution in bribery payments
The Judiciary has been ranked as the most expensive institution to bribe in Kenya.
According to the 2025 Kenya Bribery Index report released by Transparency International (TI) Kenya on July 17, 2025, the report, which captures the level and cost of bribery in various public institutions, revealed that an average bribe paid within the Judiciary stands at Ksh18,800. This represents a 33 per cent increase compared to the 2017 figures.
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“The Judiciary was the worst-ranked institution with an average bribe of 18,800. This was a 33% increase compared to 2017. In real terms, the implication is that each Kenyan seeking services in the judiciary would hypothetically have to pay a bribe of over Kshs 18,000,” TI Kenya noted in the report.
Land services came in second, with an average bribe of Ksh12,610, showing a 40 per cent increase from the 2017 survey. This was followed by motor vehicle licensing, business licensing, and the police.
Notably, the report showed that the top three worst-ranked institutions in 2025 were also ranked the same in the 2019 report.
“Even where efforts to counter bribery in the three institutions could have been instituted, the actual results have not been realised,” the report said.
One of the biggest jumps was seen in business licensing, where the average bribe increased by a massive 141 per cent from Ksh3,601 in 2017 to Ksh7,563 in 2025. The police also recorded a 97 per cent increase in the average bribe, rising from Ksh3,485 to Ksh6,862.
“With rising unemployment levels, it is likely more people are getting into small businesses and petty trade. The higher number of people seeking business licenses could provide higher opportunities for bribery,” the report stated.
Other sectors highlighted include tax services (Ksh6,805), education services (Ksh4,510), medical and health services (Ksh2,058), civil registration (Ksh1,270), and Huduma Centre services (Ksh1,055).
Interestingly, some sectors recorded a drop in the average amount of bribes. Access to Huduma Centre services dropped by 16 per cent while health and medical services saw a 19 per cent decline.
