NAIROBI, Kenya – According to the 2025 Economic Survey by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), Nairobi City Police Command Station recorded the highest number of crimes in 2024, accounting for 9.6% of the national total.
This marks a slight decline from the previous year, with 9,717 reported cases compared to 11,108 in 2023.
The KNBS report highlights that Kiambu and Meru Police Command Stations followed closely, contributing 8.8% and 5.4% of reported crimes, respectively.
Kiambu registered 8,865 cases, while Meru reported 5,487 incidents.
However, there was a significant contrast in crime reports from other parts of the country, with areas such as the Kenya Airports Police Unit (KAPU), Garissa, and Wajir seeing the lowest crime rates.
KAPU recorded just 87 cases, while Garissa and Wajir had 358 and 373 reported crimes, respectively.
Overall, the number of reported crimes in Kenya decreased by 3.5% to 101,220 in 2024, down from 104,881 in 2023.
This decline indicates a national trend of reduced criminal activity, though certain regions saw sharp increases.
Marsabit Police Command Station experienced the highest percentage rise in reported crimes, with a 41.0% increase in 2024.
Other regions with notable increases included Narok (34.3%), West Pokot (28.6%), and Migori (23.2%).
In contrast, areas like Taita Taveta, Trans Nzoia, and Machakos saw significant decreases in reported crimes, with declines of 32.4%, 22.1%, and 15.7%, respectively.
While most crime categories experienced downward trends, there were notable exceptions.
Criminal damage, offences involving police officers, and other penal code violations increased by 0.8%, 36.7%, and 16% respectively.
Homicide cases slightly decreased to 3,015 in 2024 from 3,031 in 2023, while other offences against morality dropped marginally to 7,523 from 7,655.
Theft remained a prevalent issue, with 17,560 reported theft cases, while offences against persons stood at 24,972.
Drug-related crimes continued to rise, with 8,231 cases reported. Vehicle thefts declined to 1,383, down from 1,687 the previous year.
Surprisingly, crimes involving police officers saw a concerning uptick, with 246 cases reported in 2024, compared to 180 in 2023.
On a more positive note, crimes involving tourists remained extremely low, with just 39 reported incidents.
Traffic offences also showed a significant drop, falling to 72 from 173 in 2023.
Economic crimes decreased to 4,610, down from 4,970 in 2023, and corruption cases also saw a slight decline, from 116 to 104.
The most significant declines were observed in traffic offences and offences involving tourists, which dropped by 58.4% and 42.6%, respectively.
Despite the national reduction in crime, the report concludes that crimes against persons and stealing jointly accounted for 42.0% of all crimes in 2024, underscoring the continued challenges in addressing these areas.
The findings highlight the need for targeted security interventions, especially in high-crime areas like Nairobi, to ensure sustained progress in reducing crime across Kenya.
