Police Officers Top List of Public Officials Involved in Bribery, EACC Survey Reveals
A new national survey has highlighted the extent of bribery in Kenya’s public services, with police officers recording the highest rate of involvement.
According to the Kenya National Gender and Corruption Survey 2025 released by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), 35.5 percent of people who sought services from police reported paying a bribe. This makes law enforcement the sector most affected by this form of corruption, often linked to routine interactions such as traffic stops, arrests, or obtaining official assistance.
Civil registration officials came in second, with 30 percent of respondents saying they had given bribes when applying for documents like birth and death certificates. The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) officers followed closely at 25.4 percent, mainly in areas such as vehicle registration, licensing, and road-related services. These findings point to everyday public services where citizens frequently encounter demands for unofficial payments.
Other notable sectors include land registry officers at 23.3 percent and registration of persons officials at 21.2 percent, where people often seek title deeds, identity cards, or related documents. Immigration officers stood at 18.2 percent, while tax and revenue officers recorded 13 percent. The survey shows that cash remains the most common form of bribe, accounting for over 72 percent of cases, making it difficult to trace and address.
The report, conducted in partnership with the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, paints a worrying picture of how corruption continues to affect ordinary Kenyans across different government departments. It also notes that while police top the list in terms of how often bribes occur, other officials such as magistrates receive much larger average amounts. The EACC has used these results to call for stronger measures, including better oversight, digital services to reduce direct contact, and increased public awareness. Many citizens hope the findings will lead to real action that makes accessing government services fairer and free from unofficial costs.
