Kenya has ranked 10th out of 54 African countries in tax and revenue mobilisation, according to preliminary findings of the 2026 Ibrahim Index of African Governance, which is scheduled for official launch in Cairo, Egypt, on October 31.
The country posted a score of 67.9 points in the assessment, which examined governments’ capacity and efficiency in raising revenue during 2025.
Kenya’s performance was above the continental average of 50.0 points recorded during the year.
South Africa emerged as Africa’s top performer in tax and revenue collection, scoring 92.4 points — 24.5 points higher than Kenya.
Libya occupied the bottom of the ranking with 2.8 points, highlighting the significant disparities in revenue mobilisation capacity across African countries.
Kenya’s score increased by 4.6 points between 2016 and 2025, with the index categorising the country’s trajectory as “Increasing Improvement.”
The classification reflects a stronger pace of progress since 2021 compared with the first half of the decade.
Kenya was among 16 African countries that recorded an improvement in their scores between 2016 and 2025 while also registering accelerated progress after 2021.
The findings point to a broader continental decline in tax and revenue mobilisation, with Africa’s average score falling by 1.5 points between 2016 and 2025.
East Africa, however, recorded a more favourable trend, with the East African Community posting a 2.7-point improvement over the same period.
The ranking comes months after the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) reported in April that it had collected Ksh2.038 trillion during the first nine months of the 2025/26 financial year.
The figure represented an increase from the Ksh1.829 trillion collected during the corresponding period of the previous financial year.
KRA attributed the improved performance to simplified tax processes and digital reforms, including eTIMS, the GavaConnect Developer Portal and a WhatsApp-based tax filing service powered by the Shuru AI chatbot.
The Ibrahim Index of African Governance noted that stronger revenue mobilisation can boost economic stability, reduce reliance on unpredictable external financing and enhance governments’ ability to withstand economic shocks.
