Africa’s election integrity rating falls as Kenya prepares for 2027

Africa’s election integrity record has deteriorated to its weakest level in more than a decade, raising questions about the independence of electoral institutions and the transparency of democratic processes.

The Africa Integrity Indicators’ Integrity Narratives 2026 report released Wednesday found that the continent’s average election performance score fell to 26.8 in 2025, below the 29 recorded in 2014, despite modest improvements in some intervening years.

The findings come at a time Kenya is preparing for the General Election next year.

“Elections are the leading indicator that sets the tone of the continent’s governance and accountability trajectory, and more than 20 African countries had elections in the period under review," the report says.

"Transparency about sources of funding for political parties, on the other hand, have been the worst performing sets of indicators, and it appears there is a profound dearth of institutional capacity and oversight mechanisms to catalyse improvement.”

Prepared by the African Institute for Development Policy, the assessment examines how governance institutions operate in practice across 55 African Union member states. Its findings cover between September 2023 and June 2025.

The report identifies declining electoral performance in Angola, the Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan. However, it also records improvements in South Africa, Namibia, Ghana and Senegal.

The report identifies protection of electoral management bodies from political interference, timely publication of election reports and equitable access to state-owned media for political parties and candidates as the three critical areas of electoral integrity.

The indicator measuring the independence of appointments to electoral management bodies scored an average of 25.5 out of 100 in 2025. The indicator assessing equitable access to state-owned media performed even worse, scoring 24.5.

By contrast, the indicator measuring whether electoral agencies publish timely and publicly accessible reports before and after elections recorded a score of 30.5.

The report warns that weaknesses in electoral institutions can undermine the wider democratic process.

“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,” it says.

These findings come as the IEBC works to prepare the electoral infrastructure, register voters and address concerns surrounding the transparency of election technology ahead of the 2027 polls.

The commission has also faced scrutiny over procurement processes and funding gaps, challenges that have raised questions about whether essential preparations can be completed within the available timetable.

While the Africa Integrity Indicators do not establish that Kenya’s election will be compromised, they highlight institutional safeguards that will be central to public confidence in the process.

The report’s findings also draw attention to political financing, which remains the weakest area of governance assessed by the indicators. The continental average score for political finance has never exceeded 10 out of 100.

The report links undisclosed party funding to the risk of opaque influence and patronage, raising questions about the transparency of money flowing into political organisations and election campaigns.

With political parties and aspirants preparing for the 2027 contest, scrutiny of funding sources, disclosure requirements and enforcement mechanisms is likely to become increasingly important.

The report notes that weak political finance oversight reflects shortcomings in institutional capacity and enforcement, rather than simply the absence of formal rules.

“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 says.

The findings also cover the importance of transparency beyond Election Day, including public access to information and the ability of journalists, civil society and citizens to scrutinise government institutions.

The report recommends protecting oversight institutions from political interference, ensuring they have adequate resources and making information accessible to the public.

It also calls for greater transparency in political party funding and stronger institutional capacity to enforce accountability requirements.