IMF concludes auditing Kenya's governance system, report due by end of year

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has completed its Diagnostics Mission to Kenya aimed at identifying governance challenges affecting the country's stability. 

Led by Rebecca Sparkman, the IMF mission took place from June 16 to June 30, 2025, at the request of President William Ruto's government. 

The Governance Diagnostic program is part of the IMF’s framework that seeks to uncover vulnerabilities and systemic weaknesses in governance and corruption that may threaten a country's economic resilience.

The mission also provides an action plan that will provide the way forward on how to address the issues.

The program brought together experts from several IMF departments including Fiscal Affairs, Legal, Finance, Monetary and Capital Markets, and Strategy, Policy and Review, alongside representatives from the World Bank.

The team held a wide range of meetings with both government institutions and non-state actors to gain a holistic view of governance challenges across Kenya’s core public sector functions.

Further, the IMF team met officials from procurement, tax and expenditure policy, revenue administration, market regulation, the mining sector, financial oversight, and the Central Bank. 

The discussions also covered efforts around anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism. 

Part of the broader discussions revolved around how effective the Kenyan government is in dealing with corruption. 

To gain a wider perspective on governance and transparency, the IMF team consulted civil society groups, business associations, and international development partners

Following the conclusion of the mission, the IMF team is set to draft a report outlining its findings and recommendations, which will be shared with the government before the end of 2025. 

The mission has elicited debate across the country, with members of the public calling for the IMF report to be made public. On his part, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi recently argued that the report should be made public but noted that the decision ultimately lies with the Cabinet.

“I was very careful to say, from where I sit, I didn't see what that should not be made public, but that will be a Cabinet decision," Mbadi said on April 30, 2025.