NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 25 — Kirinyaga, Wajir, Nyeri, Kiambu and Mombasa have emerged as Kenya’s top-performing counties in the latest Politrack Africa 2022–2026 Governors’ Performance Index, with the survey also finding that urban residents generally rate county governments more positively than their rural counterparts. The index ranked Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru first, followed by Ahmed Abdullahi (Wajir), Mutahi Kahiga (Nyeri), Kimani Wamatangi (Kiambu) and Abdulswamad Nassir (Mombasa). According to the report, the rankings are based on citizens’ assessment of county governments across key devolved functions, including healthcare, roads, water, agriculture, trade, revenue collection, public participation, service delivery and fiscal management.
“The index measures citizens’ perceptions of the performance of governors based on service delivery and implementation of devolved functions as provided for under the Constitution,” the pollster said on Saturday. The survey found that the five top-ranked counties consistently recorded stronger public approval ratings across most sectors, reflecting what Politrack described as comparatively effective implementation of county programmes. One of the report’s notable findings is the divide between urban and rural respondents.
Urban residents expressed higher levels of satisfaction with county governments than their rural counterparts, particularly in water provision, infrastructure and overall service delivery. “Urban respondents consistently rated county governments higher than rural respondents across most service delivery indicators,” the report notes. The study also found that women generally gave county governments better ratings than men, especially in healthcare, water services and overall satisfaction with county performance.
According to Politrack, the findings point to the need for counties to improve equitable access to services, particularly in rural areas where perceptions of service delivery remain comparatively lower. The survey comes as governors enter the final stretch of their first term following the 2022 General Election, with service delivery expected to feature prominently in campaigns ahead of the 2027 polls. While the top-performing counties received high marks for infrastructure development and delivery of devolved services, the report notes that significant disparities persist across counties…
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