Bribery price list: What you pay across counties

Kakamega County recorded the highest average bribe in Kenya at Sh79,305, according to findings released in the National Gender and Corruption Survey 2025.

The report ranks counties based on the average amount paid in bribes, revealing sharp disparities across the country.

Data shows that Kakamega leads by a wide margin. It is followed by West Pokot, where the average bribe stands at Sh16,400, Isiolo at Sh13,912, Vihiga at Sh12,389 and Garissa at Sh12,297.

The report attributes Kakamega’s unusually high figures to significant payments made to judicial officers.

The survey states: “Huge amounts of bribes were made to judicial officers” in Kakamega, pointing to a concentration of high-value transactions within that sector.

In contrast, the lowest average bribes were recorded in Kitui at Sh2,168 and Siaya at Sh2,155.

Other counties with relatively low figures include Nyamira at Sh1,655, Kilifi at Sh1,559 and Baringo at Sh1655. These counties form the bottom tier in the ranking, indicating comparatively smaller financial exchanges in bribery incidents.

The survey provides a nationwide snapshot of citizens’ experiences when accessing public services.

It examined interactions between the public and officials across all 47 counties. The study relied on household questionnaires administered through face-to-face Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing.

A nationally representative sample was used in the study. It covered 1,467 clusters of Kenyan adults aged 18 and above. These participants were selected proportionately from all counties based on the 2019 population census. Out of 22,005 households sampled, 21,941 were reached. A total of 16,858 interviews were successfully conducted.

The report was produced through a multi-agency collaboration. The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission led the exercise in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime – Regional Office in Eastern Africa, the National Gender and Equality Commission, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics and Transparency International Kenya.

The findings highlight notable regional variations in the cost of bribery. Counties at the top of the ranking show significantly higher average payments compared to those at the bottom. The gap between Kakamega and Baringo, for instance, runs into tens of thousands of shillings.

While the report focuses on averages rather than frequency, the figures offer insight into the scale of financial demands faced by citizens.

The concentration of high-value bribes in specific sectors, such as the judiciary in Kakamega, stands out as a key observation.

Overall, the survey presents detailed evidence on how bribery manifests across counties. It underscores differences in both the amounts paid and the contexts in which these payments occur.