Africa’s election integrity rating declines as Kenya prepares for 2027, with reports highlighting risks to electoral fairness, youth engagement, and democratic freedoms.
The Africa Integrity Indicators’ Integrity Narratives 2026 report, released Wednesday, highlights a decline in Kenya’s electoral performance, with the continent’s average election performance score dropping to 26.8 in 2025, lower than the 29 recorded in 2014, despite some improvements in between. The report, prepared by the African Institute for Development Policy, warns that weaknesses in electoral institutions could undermine democratic processes, particularly as Kenya approaches its 2027 General Election. The Star notes that the independence of appointments to electoral management bodies scored an average of 25.5 out of 100 in 2025, while equitable access to state-owned media for political parties and candidates scored 24.5. The findings cover between September 2023 and June 2025, with the report identifying declining electoral performance in Angola, the Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Somalia, Sudan, and South Sudan. The Africa Integrity Indicators also emphasize that transparency about sources of funding for political parties has been the worst-performing set of indicators, with a profound dearth of institutional capacity and oversight mechanisms to catalyze improvement.
Youth Participation and Electoral Engagement
With 75.1 per cent of Kenya’s population below the age of 35, young people are emerging as a pivotal force in the 2027 election. Principal Secretary for Youth Affairs and Creative Economy Fikirini Jacobs urged youth to take an active role in shaping the nation’s future during the Kenya Youth Devolution Festival 2026 at Pwani University on October 29, 2026. Peopledaily reports that Jacobs emphasized the importance of responsible political engagement, stating, Our democracy is stronger when young people engage responsibly and take an active role in shaping the nation’s future.
The festival, themed The Kenya We Want: Youth Participation in the Electoral Process and Peaceful Elections,
brought together young people from all 47 counties. Jacobs highlighted government programmes like the Ksh20 billion NYOTA Project, TVET modularisation, labour mobility programmes, and digital skills development to expand economic opportunities for youth. The event underscored the government’s focus on youth empowerment as a cornerstone of Kenya’s developmental strategy.
Democratic Backsliding and Institutional Challenges
A separate report by the Civic Freedoms Forum, cited by Newsminimalist, warns of deepening democratic backsliding in Kenya. The report, covering September 2025 to October 2026, documents rising police brutality, political violence, and restrictions on civil liberties. The report also raises concerns about electoral preparedness, including KIEMS kit malfunctions. The strength of the election management bodies, particularly their autonomy and independence, is highly crucial for the successful, fair and transparent conduct of elections, and the smooth transition of power,
the Africa Integrity Indicators report underscores. The Civic Freedoms Forum report, with a significance score of 3.4, ranks in the top 8.7% of today’s 32,044 analyzed articles. The report outlines 10 demands, such as halting police killings, safeguarding journalists, and guaranteeing fair elections, and will be forwarded to Parliament and international organizations.
Despite these challenges, the report records improvements in South Africa, Namibia, Ghana, and Senegal. However, Kenya’s political financing remains a critical weakness, with the continental average score for political finance never exceeding 10 out of 100. The Africa Integrity Indicators report links undisclosed party funding to the risk of opaque influence and patronage, urging stronger oversight mechanisms to ensure accountability. The report also states that the continent’s average election performance score dipped to 26.8 in 2025, less than the 29 recorded in 2014, despite some progress in certain periods. The findings occur as the IEBC focuses on setting up electoral infrastructure, enrolling voters, and tackling issues regarding the transparency of election technology ahead of the 2027 elections. The commission has also faced examination regarding procurement procedures and financial shortfalls, issues that have sparked doubts about whether critical preparations can be completed within the given timeframe.
Calls for Reform and Institutional Safeguards
The Africa Integrity Indicators report suggests shielding oversight bodies from political influence, ensuring they receive sufficient resources, and making data available to the public. The Star quotes the report stating, Africa’s central governance challenge is no longer the absence of institutions, laws or continental commitments, but the gap between formal institutional architecture and effective implementation.
The report emphasizes that while the indicator measuring the independence of appointments to electoral management bodies scored an average of 25.5 out of 100 in 2025, the lack of institutional capacity and oversight mechanisms remains a critical barrier to progress. The Africa Integrity Indicators also stress that transparency in political party funding and stronger institutional capacity to enforce accountability requirements are essential for restoring public confidence in the electoral process.
NCIC Highlights Trust-Building as Key to Peaceful 2027 ElectionsNAIROBI | Public trust, accountable leadership and institutional credibility are essential to strengthening national cohesion and safeguarding peaceful elections.The National Cohesion and Integration Commission,… pic.twitter.com/gRYnj7zHFi
As Kenya moves closer to the 2027 election, the interplay between institutional reforms, youth engagement, and democratic safeguards will be critical. With the IEBC tasked with preparing electoral infrastructure and addressing transparency concerns, the coming months will test the resilience of Kenya’s democratic framework. President William Ruto, during the NYOTA Business Start-Up Capital disbursement project at Kinoru Stadium, Meru County on Thursday, January 22, 2026, reiterated that devolution had brought development closer to communities and advanced equitable distribution of resources across the country, aligning with the administration’s development vision. The report’s findings also highlight political financing, which continues to be the most problematic aspect of governance assessed by the indicators, with the continental average score for political finance not surpassing 10 out of 100.