A staggering 72% of Kenyans who interacted with police officers in the past year found themselves in a bribery situation, making the National Police Service the worst-rated institution in the 2025 Kenya Bribery Index.
The report, which surveys public interaction with government institutions, paints a worrying picture of corruption deeply embedded in service delivery.
Overall, 25% of all respondents who interacted with public institutions reported a bribery incident. Of these, 23% had bribes either demanded or expected from them, while 2% admitted to offering a bribe themselves. Men were significantly more likely to report paying bribes—accounting for 64% of bribery victims—compared to 36% among women, a disparity attributed to gendered access to public services.
Land services and civil registration followed the police closely on the likelihood of bribery, each scoring slightly over 60%. In contrast, Huduma Centres emerged as a rare bright spot, registering only 9% likelihood of bribery—the lowest in the index.
In terms of the prevalence of bribery—how often bribes are actually paid once a demand is made—the police again ranked worst at 51%, followed by motor vehicle licensing at 48%. This suggests that nearly half of those facing bribery situations in these sectors end up paying.
Even more troubling is the rising cost of bribes. The Judiciary was the most expensive institution to bribe, with an average bribe size of KSh 18,800—a 33% increase since 2017. Land services followed at KSh 12,610, with frequent and complex human interactions cited as a driving factor. Despite the government’s launch of Ardhi Sasa to digitize land transactions, the system was only operational in Nairobi and Murang’a at the time of the survey.
The health sector has seen the sharpest rise in bribery prevalence, increasing by 27% since 2017 and nearly 20 percentage points since the last survey in 2019. This spike raises serious concerns about access to medical care for poor and vulnerable citizens.
Police were again the largest bribe recipients, accounting for nearly 40% of all reported bribes. Despite the overwhelming scale of the problem, only 17% of those who experienced bribery reported it—a slight improvement from 13% in 2019 and just 6% in 2017. Among those who didn’t report, nearly half (47%) cited lack of faith in enforcement agencies.
Public perception of corruption remains grim. While 47% believe corruption will worsen—a drop from 55% in 2019—only 25% think it will improve in the coming year, suggesting continued pessimism.
The report outlines several targeted recommendations, including urgent reforms within the police and judiciary, digitization of high-risk services, and passage of pending laws on whistleblower protection and conflict of interest. It also urges civil society, media, and faith-based organizations to hold public institutions accountable and strengthen anti-corruption advocacy.
The 2025 Index comes against the backdrop of growing public discontent, as seen in the youth-led protests of 2024 that highlighted frustrations over governance and economic hardship. With the cost of living soaring, informal and illegal fees for basic services are adding more pressure on already struggling households.
As bribery continues to undermine access to essential services, the report warns that unchecked corruption will not only entrench poverty but also threaten the future of Kenya’s development.
