Kenya is still among the most corrupt countries in the world – TI report
Kenya has been ranked amongst the most corrupt countries based on a recent report released by Transparency International.
Globally, Kenya has been ranked at position 121, with Seychelles, at position 18 globally with 72 points out of 100, emerging as the best performer in a report dated February 11, 2025.
Among its East African peers, Kenya, scored 32 out of 100, with Tanzania ranking better at 82nd position globally with 41 points. In the region, Uganda is the most corrupt country, ranking at 140th position with a score of 26 points.
Although Kenya still ranks among the most corrupt nations, it has improved by 32 points according to the report.
“In 2024, the Sub-Saharan African region once again registered the lowest average score on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), at just 33 out of 100, with 90 per cent of countries scoring below 50. Yet amid this very low annual performance, there were African countries that invested in anti-corruption and made remarkable progress.
“The region’s highest scorers include Seychelles (CPI score: 72), Cabo Verde (62), Botswana (57), and Rwanda (57). The lowest scorers declined further on this year’s CPI: Equatorial Guinea (13), Eritrea (13), Somalia (9), and South Sudan (8).
“Tanzania (41) has gained 10 points since 2014, as corrupt officials finally faced consequences for their actions. Over the last decade, it has become widespread practice for high-level public officials suspected of corruption to be immediately relieved of their duties, with law enforcement launching investigations. The country has also established a specialised court committed to the prosecution of corruption and economic crime,” the report read.
How other countries performed
Meanwhile, in 10 years, Lesotho has dropped 12 points, and this decline is attributed to the country’s crack on civil society and members of the press.
“Coupled with an opaque appointment process for judges and a high backlog of cases that has called into question the judiciary’s efficacy, this has made fighting corruption particularly difficult,” the report noted.
Lesotho’s neighbour, Eswatini, also showed a declining trend in the perception index. At position 27, it means the country has dropped by 16 points.
According to Transparency International, a February report by the Public Accounts Committee showed numerous unauthorised expenditures in the national budget by various ministries, and there has been no response from the Anti-Corruption Commission.
Ghana as well as her West African counterpart, Liberia, both recorded 10-point declines since 2014.
“But recent developments in the two countries give reason for hope,” TI noted.
