Women more likely to give bribes as sexual favors most prevalent form - EACC report

The Kenya National Gender and Corruption Survey 2025 indicated that over the past 12 months before the survey, 73% of women were asked for sexual favours on more than three occasions, 76% in three occasions, 84% in two times and 82% once.

The survey indicates that service seekers interacted most with healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses, and midwives (44.5%).

Other sectors include teachers/lecturers (31.2%), police officers (15.2%) and public utility officers (14.3%). 

It added that in the aforementioned instances, women were more than twice as likely to be asked for sexual favours.

In the private sector, 5.2% of the respondents, aged 18 to 44, said that they were made to understand that unless they provide sexual favours they will not get services.

Eighty percent of officials in this sector demanding sexual favours were men while 20% were women.

"A half of respondents had sought employment, one quarter had sought medical services from a doctor, 6 per cent from nurse, 4 per cent from secondary school admission, and 3 per cent medical insurance from an insurance company and vehicle insurance from an insurance company respectively," the report read in part.

"This data shows prevalence of sextortion in employment, health services, education and insurance sectors. The behaviour is also existent among seekers of banking and surveying services."

In the public sector, 8% of the respondents were asked for sexual favours indirectly while, while 2.1% were directly asked for sexual favours. Among them 9.3% were female while 7.4% were male. 

"The findings further show that sextortion also affects men, with 18% reporting being asked for sexual favours once in the past 12 months and 27% reporting being asked at least three times during the same period," the report added.

For bribery, 35.5% of the respondents reported having given a bribe to police officers, civil registration officials (30.0%), NTSA officers (25.4%), land registry officers (23.3%) and registration of persons officers (21.2%) within the period under review.

Women were found to have given bribes 10 or more times to tax/revenue officers (19.8%), immigration officers (12.7%) and other health workers (6.7%). 

Men gave bribes 10 or more times to National Transport and Safety Authority Officers (12.6%), Police officers (10.9%), and teachers/lecturers from public schools (4.0%).

The largest average cash bribe was paid to court magistrates at Ksh.164,367, while the lowest amount of average cash bribe was paid to civil registration officials at Ksh.1,415.

Men service seekers were found to pay a slightly higher average bribe estimated at Ksh. 6,748 compared to women at Ksh. 6,702.

Most of the bribery cases were reported in the counties of Kakamega, West Pokot, Isiolo and Vihiga, leading the list, while least cases were reported in  Nyamira, Kilifi and Baringo.

The survey has recommended that all public service supervisors be trained on establishing clear disciplinary procedures to implement emergency sextortion interventions.

"Link victims to support services for, including psychological counselling and legal assistance. Prioritize protection for young women seeking employment and medical services, the groups most vulnerable to sexual coercion," the report read.

Likewise, it recommended the establishment of gender-responsive anti-corruption interventions, especially because women face distinct corruption vulnerabilities,.

It also wants the development of gender-responsive anti-corruption strategies within national and county governments in corruption risk assessments, audits, and integrity training programs.

"...support initiatives that empower women and marginalized groups to access leadership roles in governance, oversight, and decision-making structures," it read in part.

The Kenya National Gender and Corruption Survey 2025 was carried out as a joint

initiative between the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime under the Programme for Legal Empowerment and Aid Delivery (PLEAD II), the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) and Transparency International, Kenya (TI Kenya). 

The Survey focused on citizens’ interaction with select public and private sector employees in delivery of services across all 47 counties.

The target population comprised 16,858 respondents, where one member per household, aged 18 years and above, was interviewed.