Kenyans have shown little confidence in the anti-graft agency, which was ranked ninth among other organisations involved in combating unethical conduct and corruption. 

A report released on August 5, 2025, showed that only 28 per cent of Kenyans were confident the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission was effective in combating corruption, compared to the Office of the Auditor General, which topped the list with 41.6 per cent. 

Interestingly, social media platforms including WhatsApp, TikTok, Facebook and Twitter were ranked fourth with 38.9 per cent confidence level, higher than the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) at 19.9 per cent and Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) at 15 per cent. 

DCI was placed at position 14 while ODPP was a distant 17th. 

The National Ethics and Corruption Survey, 2024, also indicated that other stakeholders that Kenyans have much confidence in combating unethical conduct and corruption were religious organisations, civil society and the private sector. 

On the other hand, public institutions, including Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, police, Attorney General, and the Commission on Administrative Justice, were lowly ranked in the list. 

EACC Chairman Bishop David Oginde, who conducted the survey, said the Conflict of Interest law, which President William Ruto assented to last week, will give the commission a stronger impetus in tackling graft. 

“We believe that it is a great step forward in terms of the fight against corruption. Procurement is a major, major problem in this country, and this is what the conflict of interest law is going to or is seeking to address. We are in the process of looking through it, trying to understand what the provisions are, the implications are, and what our role as a EACC is,” he said. 

Bishop Oginde hailed Kenyans after the survey conducted in the entire 47 counties found out that the average bribe dropped from Ksh11,000 in 2023 to about Ksh4000 last year 

“If people are giving less, that in itself is good. Perhaps it’s because they don’t have the money, or the people who are asking for it are desperate and receiving the little that is offered,” he added.  

The report showed that corruption was still rampant among public officers, where in every five Kenyans giving bribes, there was an equal number of corrupt government officials receiving it.

Other forms of unethical practices in government include favouritism (22.5%), abuse of office (14.6%), tribalism and nepotism (11.8%) and embezzlement of public funds (11.7%).