Kenya rises on Mo Ibrahim index of African governance

An aerial view of Nairobi, Kenya's capital city. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

By KEVIN J. KELLEY
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Kenya has ascended to position 17 among the 52 countries included in the 2014 Ibrahim Index of African Governance published on Monday.

Kenya was listed in position 21 in last year's rankings.

Its overall governance score of 57.4 was higher than both the African average of 51.5 and the East African average of 48.5.

The index is based on more than 100 indicators from over 30 African and international sources.

Established in 2007 by Sudanese telecommunications tycoon Mo Ibrahim, the index identified Mauritius (81.7), Cape Verde (76.6), Botswana (76.2), South Africa (73.3) and Seychelles (73.2) as this year's top five governance performers in Africa.

Somalia, with a score of 8.6, is ranked last on the Ibrahim Index. The Central African Republic, Eritrea, Chad and Guinea-Bissau are also placed near the bottom of the table.

EAST AFRICAN NEIGHBOURS

Tanzania is ranked in position 15, two places ahead of Kenya, while Uganda is listed in position 19.

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation, which compiles the index, defines governance as “the provision of the political, social and economic goods that a citizen has the right to expect from his or her state, and that a state has the responsibility to deliver to its citizens.”

Kenya is said to have improved on all but three of the 14 criteria used in calculating each country's ranking.

National security accounted for the largest ratings drop for Kenya (down 3.5 points), with the index computing a decline of 2.0 in public management and 1.1 in education.

MAJOR ADVANCES

But the country is viewed as having made major advances in democratic participation (up 14.8 points) and development of infrastructure (plus 12.8).

Gains have also been recorded in regard to the rule of law (5.1 points), accountability (5.5) and gender equity (5.5). Personal safety in Kenya is assessed as having improved slightly (0.7 points).

The index shows a steady increase in the overall quality of African governance in recent years.

Mr Ibrahim cautioned, however, that “even if the overall picture looks good, we must all remain vigilant and not get complacent.”