Kenya has placed 10th among 54 African countries in tax and revenue mobilisation, according to preliminary findings from the 2026 Ibrahim Index of African Governance , which will be officially launched in Cairo, Egypt, on October 31.

The country recorded a score of 67.9 points on the report, which assessed the capacity and efficiency of governments to raise revenue in 2025.

Kenya’s result puts it above the continental average score of 50.0 points recorded in 2025.

According to the index, South Africa ranked first in Africa for tax and revenue collection with 92.4 points, 24.5 points ahead of Kenya.

At the other end of the ranking, Libya recorded the lowest score at 2.8 points, depicting the wide differences in revenue mobilisation capacity across the continent.

Kenya’s score rose by 4.6 points since 2016, with the report classifying its progress as “Increasing Improvement.”

The classification indicates that Kenya’s performance has improved at a faster rate since 2021 compared with the earlier part of the decade.

Kenya was among the 16 African countries whose scores improved between 2016 and 2025 while also recording faster progress after 2021.

The index demonstrated a wider African trend in which the average tax and revenue mobilisation score fell by 1.5 points between 2016 and 2025.

East Africa recorded a more positive trend, with the East African Community registering a 2.7-point improvement over the same period.

The ranking comes after the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) announced in April that it collected Ksh2.038 trillion in the first nine months of the 2025/26 financial year, up from Ksh1.829 trillion over the same period the previous year.

The authority attributed the growth to simplified tax processes and digital reforms, including eTIMS, the GavaConnect Developer Portal and a WhatsApp-based tax filing service powered by the Shuru AI chatbot.

The index on African Governance noted that improved revenue mobilisation can strengthen economic stability, reduce dependence on unpredictable external financing, and help governments respond to economic shocks.