A continent that has written its democratic rules into constitutions and treaties is being asked a harder question: whether those rules are actually lived out at the ballot box. A report released this week places Africa's average election performance at 26.8 in 2025, down from 29 in 2014, a reminder that architecture on paper and integrity in practice are not the same thing. The findings arrive as Kenya moves toward its 2027 general election, where the independence of its electoral commission, the openness of party money and the fairness of state media will shape whether voters trust the resul
Africa's Election Integrity Score Falls to 26.8 as Kenya Readies for 2027 Polls
The gap between formal institutions and effective implementation
Mark
Start with the headline number. 26.8, down from 29 in 2014. Is that a big fall?
Mimi
It's a modest drop on a scale of 100, but the bigger point is the level. Scores in the mid-twenties, with some years improving in between, suggest a continent that hasn't moved much in over a decade.
Luke
And it's an average across 55 states, covering September 2023 to June 2025. Averages hide a lot. The report itself lists both decliners and improvers.
Mark
Which countries are on each side?
Mimi
Declines in Angola, the Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan. Improvements in South Africa, Namibia, Ghana and Senegal.
Mark
Why does political finance stand out?
Mimi
The continental average has never topped 10 out of 100. The report ties hidden party funding to opaque influence and patronage, and says the gap is in enforcement and capacity, not just missing laws.
Luke
Worth noting that's the report's reading of risk. It's not evidence of specific wrongdoing in any one country.
Mark
How does Kenya fit in?
Mimi
The IEBC is preparing infrastructure, voter registration and election technology, and has faced scrutiny over procurement and funding gaps before 2027.
Luke
But the indicators don't say Kenya's election will be compromised, and the source doesn't give a Kenya score. The link is timing and relevance, not a verdict.
Mark
So what should readers watch?
Mimi
Party funding disclosure, enforcement, and whether the IEBC's timetable holds.
El Pulso
- Continental election performance has slipped to 26.8, now below its level a decade earlier, and the mood among observers is one of quiet alarm.
- Political finance sits at the bottom of every measure, never rising above 10 out of 100, leaving party money largely hidden from public view.
- Electoral commissions and state media are scoring poorly on independence and fairness, putting pressure on institutions that must referee contested races.
- Kenya's electoral commission is racing to finish voter registration, election technology and procurement before 2027, with scrutiny sharpening as the deadline nears.
- Declines in Angola, Tanzania, Sudan and South Sudan contrast with gains in Ghana, Senegal, Namibia and South Africa, so the continent's direction remains unsettled.
A continent that has written its democratic rules into constitutions and treaties is being asked a harder question: whether those rules are actually lived out at the ballot box. A report released this week places Africa's average election performance at 26.8 in 2025, down from 29 in 2014, a reminder that architecture on paper and integrity in practice are not the same thing. The findings arrive as Kenya moves toward its 2027 general election, where the independence of its electoral commission, the openness of party money and the fairness of state media will shape whether voters trust the result as much as they trust the rules.
A new report from Africa Integrity Indicators, prepared by the African Institute for Development Policy, puts a number on something many African voters already feel: the continent's average election performance score fell to 26.8 in 2025, below the 29 recorded in 2014. The review, covering September 2023 to June 2025 and more than 20 national elections, finds a mixed picture. Some countries slipped, including Angola, the Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan, while South Africa, Namibia, Ghana and Senegal improved.
The report's central argument is that Africa no longer lacks institutions, laws or commitments. The problem is the gap between what exists on paper and what works in practice. Electoral management bodies score poorly on independence from political interference, averaging 25.5 out of 100, and equitable access to state media scores lower still at 24.5. Timely publication of election reports fares somewhat better at 30.5, but remains weak. The weakest area of all is political finance, where transparency about party funding has never exceeded 10 out of 100. The report links this secrecy to opaque influence and patronage.
For Kenya, the findings land at a sensitive moment. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission is preparing voter registration, election technology and infrastructure, while facing questions about procurement and funding gaps. The report does not claim Kenya's election will be compromised, but it underscores that public confidence will depend on the safeguards around the process. Its recommendations include shielding oversight bodies from political pressure, resourcing them properly, opening information to citizens and journalists, and enforcing party funding disclosure. As the 2027 campaigns take shape, attention to who funds the parties and how the commission prepares is likely to intensify.
A report released on Wednesday puts a number on something many African voters already sense: the continent's average score for election performance fell to 26.8 in 2025. That is lower than the 29 recorded in 2014, even though some of the years in between showed modest gains. The findings land as Kenya prepares for its General Election next year.
The document is the Integrity Narratives 2026 report from Africa Integrity Indicators, prepared by the African Institute for Development Policy. It examines how governance institutions work in practice, not just on paper, across the 55 member states of the African Union. Its period of review runs from September 2023 to June 2025. More than 20 African countries held elections in that window, which the report calls the leading indicator of the continent's governance and accountability trajectory.
The country picture is mixed. Declining electoral performance is recorded in Angola, the Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan. Improvements are recorded in South Africa, Namibia, Ghana and Senegal.
The report names three areas as critical to electoral integrity: protecting electoral management bodies from political interference, publishing election reports on time, and giving political parties and candidates equitable access to state-owned media. Scores on each are low. The independence of appointments to electoral management bodies averaged 25.5 out of 100 in 2025. Equitable access to state media did worse, at 24.5. The indicator on whether electoral agencies publish timely, publicly accessible reports before and after elections scored 30.5, the strongest of the three, though still weak. The report argues that the autonomy and independence of these bodies is crucial to fair, transparent elections and a smooth transition of power.
The weakest ground of all is political finance. The continental average for transparency about party funding has never exceeded 10 out of 100. The report describes a profound lack of institutional capacity and oversight mechanisms to drive improvement, and links undisclosed party money to the risk of opaque influence and patronage. It stresses that the problem is not simply missing rules. Weak oversight, it says, reflects shortcomings in capacity and enforcement. Its broader conclusion is that Africa's central governance challenge is no longer the absence of institutions, laws or continental commitments, but the gap between formal architecture and effective implementation.
For Kenya, the timing matters. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, the IEBC, is working to prepare electoral infrastructure, register voters and answer concerns about the transparency of election technology ahead of the 2027 polls. It has also faced scrutiny over procurement and funding gaps, which have raised questions about whether essential preparations can be finished within the available timetable. The report does not say Kenya's election will be compromised. It does point to the institutional safeguards that will shape public confidence in the process.
The findings also reach beyond polling day. The report stresses public access to information and the ability of journalists, civil society and citizens to scrutinise government institutions. Its recommendations are to shield oversight bodies from political interference, give them adequate resources, make information accessible to the public, increase transparency in party funding and strengthen the capacity to enforce accountability requirements.
As parties and aspirants gear up for 2027, scrutiny of funding sources, disclosure rules and enforcement is likely to sharpen, alongside attention to the IEBC's preparations and procurement.
Citas Notables
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.— Integrity Narratives 2026 report, Africa Integrity Indicators
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Politics & Governance