Huduma Centres have been ranked as the least bribery-prone public service institutions in the country, according to the 2025 Kenya Bribery Index released by Transparency International Kenya (TI-Kenya).

The centres recorded a bribery likelihood of just 9%, significantly lower than other government institutions, including the police, who topped the list at 72%.

The survey, conducted between February and March 2025 across 15 counties and involving 1,033 respondents, highlights Huduma Centres as a model of efficiency and integrity in public service delivery. “Respondents were least likely to encounter bribery when dealing with Huduma Centres, which were rated at 9%,” the report states, dated July 31, 2025, underscoring their role as a benchmark for transparency and good governance.

Huduma Centres were also the most frequently accessed public service points, with 51% of respondents reporting interactions. Despite the high volume, the centres maintained a low bribery prevalence of 8.5% and accounted for only 2.9% of total bribes paid across all institutions.

Notably, the average bribe paid at Huduma Centres dropped to Ksh 1,055—a 16% decline since 2017.

Digitisation and feedback systems

The report attributes Huduma Centres’ success to streamlined service delivery models, digitisation, and effective feedback mechanisms. It urges the government to sustain quality assurance, customer service satisfaction, and responsive feedback systems at all centres to maintain public trust. “The Executive should… ensure sustained quality assurance and customer service satisfaction and feedback systems at Huduma Centres,” the report recommends.

While the bribery index for Huduma Centres has risen by 15.7 points since 2017, largely due to increased public engagement, their low prevalence and minimal bribe size signal that corruption is still being effectively managed. Furthermore, only 10.6% of respondents believed it was necessary to pay a bribe to access services at Huduma Centres—the lowest rate among surveyed institutions.

TI-Kenya draws a strong link between these outcomes and compliance with the Anti-Bribery Act 2016 and the Bribery Act Regulations 2021. The legislation requires public and private entities to adopt anti-bribery procedures suited to their operations, including strong internal controls and whistleblowing mechanisms. “Both public and private entities need to re-evaluate their anti-bribery and anti-corruption policies and procedures… to ensure that they comply with the provisions of the Anti-Bribery Act, 2016,” the report notes.

As public frustration with corruption deepens—71% of respondents believe corruption has worsened over the past year—Huduma Centres stand out as a success story. TI-Kenya recommends that other institutions emulate their digitised, citizen-centric model to restore trust in government services and reduce corruption in frontline offices.