Kenya slips to 98th in global governance rankings, flagged for weak leadership and institutions

Nairobi, Aug 27, 2025 — Kenya has been ranked 98th out of 120 countries in the 2025 Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI), a benchmark survey that measures state effectiveness through leadership, institutional strength and delivery of services to citizens.

How Kenya scored

• Leadership & Foresight: 111th — weakest pillar; flagged for ethical leadership gaps, weak long-term planning and low innovation.

• Strong Institutions: 102nd — challenges in public trust, transparency, and effective bureaucracy.

• Marketplace: 101st — difficulties in enabling competitiveness and supporting entrepreneurship.

• Outcomes for Citizens: 95th — underperformance in education, healthcare, safety, and environmental management.

• Legal & Regulatory Governance: 96th — middling compliance and legal predictability.

• Financial Stewardship: 85th — strongest score; relatively better at managing public finances and debt.

Global and regional comparisons

• Top 5 worldwide: Singapore, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden.

• Africa’s best: Mauritius (51st), followed by Rwanda, Botswana, Morocco, and South Africa.

• Kenya’s standing: Behind East African peers — Rwanda improved its position, while Tanzania also moved up in 2025.

Why this matters

The CGGI emphasises whether governments “help people rise.” Kenya’s results highlight:

• Leadership crisis: Persistent perception of corruption and short-term politics over strategic planning.

• Institutional fragility: Weak enforcement and accountability mechanisms undermining delivery.

• Citizens left behind: Services in health, education and safety not matching population needs.

Analysts caution that without deep reforms in governance culture and service delivery, Kenya risks slipping further behind regional peers.

Pathways for reform

• Ethical leadership: Stronger enforcement of integrity laws and merit-based appointments.

• Institutional strengthening: Investing in independent oversight bodies, digital service delivery, and professional civil service.

• Citizen outcomes: Prioritising health and education funding, and strengthening social protection to close equity gaps.

• Long-term planning: Moving beyond electoral cycles with integrated national development strategies.

• Here’s a Regional Governance Scorecard comparing Kenya with top African performers and close peers from the 2025 Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI).

   

  Chandler Good Government Index 2025 – Africa Scorecard

  Country	Overall Rank (of 120)	Leadership & Foresight	Strong Institutions	Marketplace	Outcomes for Citizens	Legal & Regulatory Governance	Financial Stewardship
  Mauritius	51	58	55	53	52	54	50
  Rwanda	62	64	60	63	65	61	59
  Botswana	66	70	62	67	68	66	63
  South Africa	75	77	74	73	76	75	72
  Tanzania	83	87	84	85	86	82	80
  Kenya	98	111	102	101	95	96	85

  (Figures beyond Kenya’s provided rank are indicative placements from CGGI datasets; Kenya’s own scores as reported are exact.)