Government and power in Kenya

Who leads Kenya, how the World Bank's governance indicators score it, how many women sit in parliament and government, what the state spends and taxes, and the official bodies that hold power to account. System of government: Unitary presidential republic with devolved county governments.

Who leads Kenya?

• Head of state: William Samoei Ruto (President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces)
• Head of government: William Samoei Ruto (Head of Government of the Republic of Kenya)
• Foreign minister: Musalia Mudavadi (Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of Kenya)

Source: Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs: Public List (United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service), list dated 15 October 2026. All world leaders.

Governance scores

The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators combine surveys of households and firms with assessments by public, private and non-governmental bodies. Each score runs from 0 to 100; higher means the sources rate governance better. They measure perceptions, and each has a margin of error.

Voice and accountability

Measures how far citizens can choose their government, and freedom of expression, association and the media.

Political stability and absence of violence

Measures the likelihood of political instability or politically motivated violence, including terrorism.

Government effectiveness

Measures the quality of public services and the civil service, and how independent they are from political pressure.

Regulatory quality

Measures the government's ability to make and carry out policies that let the private sector develop.

Rule of law

Measures confidence in and respect for the rules of society, including contract enforcement, property rights, the police and the courts.

Control of corruption

Measures how far public power is used for private gain, including petty and grand corruption and "capture" of the state by elites.

Official bodies that hold power in Kenya

Government

• President of the Republic of Kenya
  Presidential speeches, executive orders and press statements.

Parliament

• Parliament of Kenya
  Hansard, bills, order papers and committee reports of the National Assembly and the Senate.

Elections

• Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission
  Election results, voter registration data and boundary information.

Courts

• Judiciary of Kenya (Supreme Court)
  Information on the Supreme Court and other courts, cause lists and judiciary reports.

Public audit

• Office of the Auditor-General
  Audit reports on national and county government accounts.

Ombudsman

• Commission on Administrative Justice (Office of the Ombudsman)
  Investigation reports and complaint data on administrative injustice in public offices.

Public contracts

• Public Procurement Regulatory Authority
  Procurement regulations, debarred firms, review decisions and the public tenders portal.

Laws and the official gazette

• Kenya Law (National Council for Law Reporting)
  Laws of Kenya, the Kenya Gazette, court judgments and law reports.

Government below the national level

• Counties (47): Governor and deputy elected on a joint ticket (max two five-year terms); county assembly of members (MCAs) elected from wards plus nominated members; county executive committee nominated by the governor and approved by the assembly
• Wards (1,450): One elected MCA per ward; a ward administrator employed by the county
• Cities, municipalities and towns: Boards appointed by the governor and approved by the county assembly (not elected)
• National government administration: counties, sub-counties, wards, locations, sub-locations: County commissioner, deputy and assistant county commissioners, chiefs (locations) and assistant chiefs (sub-locations), all recruited and appointed by the Public Service Commission
• Villages: Village elders, usually chosen locally and working with the assistant chief; not civil servants

How local power works in Kenya

Places in Kenya

• All 54 former provinces
• The 22 largest cities
• Official statistics for Kenya

Sources

• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Voice and accountability (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 70f2804fd1e2…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Political stability and absence of violence (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1317de0c85e1…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Government effectiveness (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a775e808dc65…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Regulatory quality (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 83b57e36ff8c…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Rule of law (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0bccc3c054e8…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Control of corruption (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3b15a5340cdd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Seats held by women in national parliament (SG.GEN.PARL.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1ae1dc13981a…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Women in ministerial positions (SG.GEN.MNST.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a4e448a5b8bd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Central government spending (GC.XPN.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 808094019f50…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Tax revenue (GC.TAX.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08c94b750f31…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Military spending (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a7f6913a783b…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Armed forces personnel (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fa4663c743ba…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Statistical Performance Indicator (overall score) (IQ.SPI.OVRL), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08ac7cde9129…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: People using the internet (IT.NET.USER.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0d78dc658329…)

Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.