Preliminary results of the 2026 Ibrahim Index of African Governance show Kenya placed 10th among 54 African countries for tax and revenue mobilisation.

The index gave Kenya a score of 67.9 points, well above the continental average of 50.0 points recorded for 2025.

Kenya’s score has risen by 4.6 points since 2016, a trend the index classifies as “Increasing Improvement,” indicating faster progress after 2021.

The improvement places Kenya among 16 African nations that recorded higher scores between 2016 and 2025 and accelerated gains after 2021.

The Kenya Revenue Authority reported collecting Ksh2.038 trillion in the first nine months of the 2025/26 fiscal year, up from Ksh1.829 trillion in the same period a year earlier.

KRA attributes the increase to streamlined tax processes and digital reforms, including the eTIMS system, the GavaConnect developer portal and a WhatsApp‑based filing service powered by the Shuru AI chatbot.

South Africa topped the index with 92.4 points, 24.5 points ahead of Kenya, while Libya recorded the lowest score of 2.8 points, highlighting the continent’s wide disparity in revenue mobilisation capacity.

The index notes that stronger revenue mobilisation can enhance economic stability, lower reliance on volatile external financing and improve governments’ ability to respond to economic shocks.