NAIROBI, Kenya — A new survey by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has revealed striking differences in how Kenyans experience bribery, with patterns varying significantly depending on marital status.
The report, released on April 9, shows that corruption in everyday public services—from civil registration to transport regulation—follows distinct trends tied to life stages and social circumstances.
For single Kenyans, bribery is most prevalent in early-life administrative processes. Nearly half (45 P.c) reported paying bribes at civil registration offices, often linked to obtaining identification documents such as IDs and certificates.
Police officers followed closely at 43.9 P.c, with National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) officers ranked third at 24.1pc. Land registry officials (23.8 P.c) and registration of persons officers (18.9 P.c) also featured prominently.
Among those in monogamous marriages, the pressure shifts toward enforcement and mobility-related services. Police officers topped the list at 37.7 P.c, followed by civil registration officials at 30.8 P.c. Land registry (26.4 P.c), NTSA (24.7 P.c), and registration of persons (20.9 P.c) rounded out the top five.
The survey found a different trend in polygamous households, where cross-border and movement-related interactions appear more pronounced. More than half (54 P.c) reported bribing immigration officers, while 41.3 P.c paid bribes to police. Civil registration officers accounted for 34.7 P.c, with NTSA officers at 15.9 P.c.
Separated individuals exhibited a similar pattern, with 34.1 P.c reporting bribery involving immigration officers, followed by police (30.2 P.c), NTSA (21.8 P.c), and registration of persons officers (21 P.c).
Divorced Kenyans recorded the highest single-category incidence across all groups, with 72.9 P.c reporting bribery involving NTSA officials. The findings suggest that bureaucratic processes such as vehicle ownership transfers and licensing—often associated with life transitions—may expose this group to heightened corruption risks.
Registration of persons officers (23 P.c), police (20 P.c), and public utilities officials (15.7 P.c) followed.
Widowed respondents reported fewer interactions overall, with most bribes linked to civil registration officials (28.3 P.c) and NTSA.
The survey was conducted in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC), Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), and Transparency International Kenya.
It examined citizen interactions with public officers across all 47 counties using face-to-face Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI). The nationally representative sample included 1,467 clusters of adults aged 18 and above, drawn proportionately based on the 2019 census.
Out of 22,005 households sampled, 21,941 were reached, with 16,858 successfully interviewed.
The findings provide fresh insight into the lived realities of corruption in Kenya, highlighting how administrative systems intersect with personal circumstances to shape citizens’ exposure to bribery.
