Kenya has been ranked among Africa’s top 10 countries in governance, placing 10th out of 54 nations in the 2026 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG).
The country scored 61 points out of 100, outperforming both the continental average of 50.1 and Eastern Africa’s regional average of 47.5. The report, published by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation on October 31, 2026, assessed governance performance across African countries over the 10-year period between 2016 and 2025.
Kenya recorded an overall improvement of 0.9 points during the review period, reflecting progress in several areas despite persistent challenges in public administration and security. Its strongest performance was recorded in Foundations for Economic Opportunity, where the country scored 65.3 points, representing an improvement of 4.1 points.
Kenya also performed relatively well in Participation, Rights and Inclusion, scoring 62.4 points, while Human Development registered 62.3 points. However, Security and Rule of Law emerged as a major concern after the category dropped by 4.2 points to 54, making it the only one of the four governance pillars to record a decline.
The report also highlighted significant weaknesses in public procurement, which scored 29.7 points after losing 36.4 points over the assessment period. Other areas of concern included public perception of the rule of law, which stood at 37.3 points, media freedom at 56.6 and public perception of anti-corruption efforts at 27.9.
Despite the setbacks, Kenya registered improvements in access to electricity and the internet, education completion rates and protection against discrimination. At the continental level, Seychelles emerged as Africa’s best-performing country, followed by Mauritius, Cabo Verde, Botswana and South Africa.
Namibia, Morocco, Senegal and Ghana completed the top 10 alongside Kenya. The index evaluates governance in 54 African countries using 96 indicators sourced from 51 independent data sources.
Its assessment covers four major areas: Security and Rule of Law, Participation, Rights and Inclusion, Foundations for Economic Opportunity, and Human Development. South Sudan ranked last at position 54, with Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea, Central African Republic, Niger, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Libya and Guinea-Bissau also featuring among the 10 lowest-ranked countries.