EACC Survey Report 2025: Single Kenyans and Women Lead in Bribe Payments

NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 9 – The Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (EACC), Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEG), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime under the Programme for Legal Empowerment and Aid Delivery (PLEAD II) and Transparency International, Kenya (TI Kenya) launched the Kenya National Gender and Corruption Survey 2025 at Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi.

The 2025 Gender and Corruption Survey launched shows hows that 84% of bribes are demanded before services are delivered.

Corruption now acts as a gatekeeper, blocking access to essential services rather than improving them, Women and vulnerable groups face compounded barriers, making rights negotiable.

According to the survey service providers who reported giving bribes to public officials in the 12 months preceding the survey, female respondents paid bribes 10 or more times to tax and revenue officers19.8%, immigration officers 12.7% and other health workers 6.7%.

Male respondents, most frequently bribed National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) officers 12.6%, police officers 10.9%, and teachers/lecturers from public schools 4.0%.

Additionally, the survey shows that single individuals most often offered bribes to civil registration officials 45% and police officers 43.9 %, while those in monogamous marriages paid bribes primarily to police officers 37.7% and civil registration officials 30.8%.

In terms of income, the survey found that low-income service seekers, earning between Ksh0–9,999, paid bribes to judges 100% civil registration officials 87.2% and immigration officers 86.6%.

Further,  Higher income brackets showed different patterns, with those earning over Ksh100,000 paying mainly to land registry officers, tax revenue officers, registration of persons officials, and members of parliament.

Police officers exhibited the highest overall bribery prevalence at 35.5 per cent, followed by civil registration officials30%, NTSA officers 25.4%, and land registry officers 23.3%.

The survey also noted that magistrates received the largest average cash bribe at Ksh164,367, while civil registration officials received the lowest, at Ksh1,415.

At the same time, gender dynamics remain stark, with the survey revealing that male officers dominate high-corruption sectors such as NTSA 92.9 % male, prosecutors 92.3%, public utilities 90.9%, and police 88.8%.

Women, however, are more likely to pay frequent bribes to tax/revenue officers, immigration officials, and health workers, reflecting their higher engagement in essential services.

The findings further  reveal that 73% of women face sextortion, demands for sexual favours, when accessing public services Overall, 8.4% of Kenyans report indirect requests for sexual favours, with women 9.3% affected more than men 7.4%.

Direct requests affected 2.1%of respondents, with women 3.4% facing such demands at more than four times the rate of men 0.8%. Young people aged 18-34 were the most affected, particularly those seeking employment or medical attention.

“This is systemic abuse, violating dignity, equality, and human rights NGEC Kenya calls for gender-sensitive accountability systems to ensure public service is safe, fair and dignified for all”.

A majority of Kenyans refused to pay bribes to male public officials, especially prosecutors 89.9%, police officers 89.6% and members of parliament 89.6%.

The survey overrally shows women appear more vulnerable to frequent bribe requests, often because they are the primary participants in service delivery for family and household needs.

“Corruption affects women more than men when corruption comes into play, the people who engage in the negotiations, the bribes or the deals are mostly men.”

NGEC called for targeted interventions and monitoring to ensure devolution delivers equity, transparency and justicefor all Kenyans.