Informal workers lose up to 20 per cent of daily earnings to bribes, World Bank says
Informal workers in Kenya lose up to 20 per cent of their daily earnings to bribes demanded by frontline public officials, including traffic police, inspection services and municipal agencies, a new World Bank report shows. The November 2026 Kenya Economic Update identifies bribery as one of the challenges affecting workers in the informal sector, warning […]
A new World Bank report reveals that informal workers in Kenya may forfeit up to 20 percent of their daily earnings to bribes demanded by frontline public officials such as traffic police, inspection services, and municipal agencies. The November 2026 Kenya Economic Update highlights bribery as a significant challenge for informal workers, noting that these unofficial payments diminish incomes and impede business expansion opportunities.
Informal workers comprise 83.8 percent of Kenya's workforce, rendering them highly susceptible to corruption involving public officials.
The report specifies that informal workers frequently face demands for bribes when interacting with frontline institutions. According to the findings, boda boda drivers in Kisumu County experienced police harassment in 47 percent of cases, with nearly 79 percent of those threatened settling bribes to avoid further consequences. The World Bank underlines that such payments exacerbate the financial strain on self-employed individuals and small-scale operators who rely on daily earnings to cover household expenses and maintain their businesses.
The World Bank estimates that informal workers can lose up to 20 percent of their daily earnings to bribes from frontline officials. The report recommends implementing clearer rules, regularly rotating staff at checkpoints, and reducing the criminalization of minor traffic offenses to combat bribery. It also calls for addressing broader institutional and political incentives that facilitate corruption, aiming to minimize opportunities for officials to solicit unofficial payments and safeguard the earnings of informal workers.
Written by urgent.news from People Daily Kenya's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
