Kenya ranked Africa’s 4th worst for organised crime

…Cybercrime, dirty money and statelinked networks fuel illicit boom

NAIROBI: KENYA has been ranked fourth among African countries in organised crime and money laundering, according to the ENACT Africa Organised Crime Index 2025, with a score of 7.18/10.

The country trails only the Democratic Republic of the Congo (7.47), South Africa (7.43), and Nigeria (7.32), and leads East Africa in cybercrime and financial crimes, both rated 8/10, reflecting its growing role as a regional hub for illicit financial flows.

According to the ENACT Africa report, continent-wide criminality average rose to 5.11/10; financial crimes grew fastest, enabled by state actors in 48% of severely affected markets.

“The most pervasive criminal markets are financial crimes, human trafficking, non-renewable resource crimes, the trade in counterfeit goods, and arms trafficking,” the report noted partly.

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State-Embedded Actors and Criminal Networks State-embedded actors are identified as the most influential criminal actors across Africa, with severe infiltration observed in nearly half of all countries analysed.

Foreign criminal organisations and private military companies also exploit regions of instability, fuelling organised crime.

“Stateembedded actors are the most prevalent type of criminal actor across the continent.” In Kenya, these dynamics have facilitated the growth of money laundering, wash-and-wash deals, and financial fraud, positioning the country as a key conduit for illicit funds in the region.

Regional Criminality Patterns

The Index reveals distinct regional variations in organised crime.

East Africa records some of the highest levels of human trafficking, arms trafficking, and human smuggling on the continent.

North Africa’s illicit economy is dominated by financial crimes and cannabis trade, Central Africa faces non-renewable resource crimes, West Africa struggles with cocaine trafficking, and Southern Africa contends with wildlife trafficking.

“East Africa stands out for its high human trafficking, arms trafficking, and human smuggling scores,” the report highlighted.

Geography, conflict, governance, and global trafficking routes strongly influence each region’s exposure to specific illicit markets.