Kenya is ranked 102nd out of 143 countries in the 2025 World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index. Its overall score declined by less than one per cent compared with the previous year.
The index gave Kenya its lowest score for the absence of corruption, while access to government information was its strongest area. The country ranks 13th out of 34 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and 15th out of 35 lower-middle-income countries.
On the absence of corruption, Kenya was ranked 137th globally and 31st out of 34 countries in the region. It also ranked 128th worldwide in order and security.
The report groups Kenya with countries where the rule of law has declined amid concerns over accountability, the independence of institutions and the protection of freedoms. “The integrity of checks and balances has been seriously weakened, including in Kenya,” the report says.
The index records declines in freedom of opinion and expression and freedom of assembly and association, which it describes as central to public participation and oversight of government.
Kenya also registered lower scores in assessments of whether courts can effectively limit executive power and whether the civil and criminal justice systems are free from improper government influence.
The report flags political interference in justice systems as a growing concern worldwide. It noted, however, that civic participation in Kenya has held steady, setting the country apart from many others.
Kenya performed better in several other categories. Its strongest showing was in open government, where it ranked 69th globally and sixth in Sub-Saharan Africa.
This category measures how easily citizens can access public information and the mechanisms available for holding government to account. The country ranked 82nd in civil justice, 11th in the region, and 87th in criminal justice. It placed 91st in fundamental rights and 99th in both constraints on government powers and regulatory enforcement.
The WJP index assesses countries across eight factors: constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice and criminal justice. Its findings are based on surveys of households and legal experts in each country.
Kenya’s results reflect a wider global trend. According to the WJP, the rule of law declined in 68 per cent of the countries assessed in 2025, up from 57 per cent in 2024.
“This year, however, we see a sharp reversal: more countries are declining, and fewer are improving,” said WJP Executive Director Alejandro Ponce. Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden and New Zealand topped the global rankings, while Venezuela, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Haiti and Nicaragua were at the bottom.
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