By Pascal Ndegwa - Reporter
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Kenya, November 04, 2026 - Kenya could gain up to 7.7 million “more and better jobs” by 2035 if it takes strong action against corruption, according to a new World Bank report. But this is not a promise that 7.7 million people will suddenly get new jobs. It is an estimate of extra job opportunities compared with a future where corruption remains unchanged.
The finding comes from the World Bank’s Kenya Economic Update, Edition No. 34, published in November 2026. The report says that if Kenya makes ambitious anti-corruption reforms, its economy could be 22.3 percent larger by 2035 than it would be without reform. It says this could support “more and better jobs for up to 7.7 million people.”
The report also gives a smaller estimate. If Kenya makes only gradual reforms, it could have nearly 3 million additional jobs by 2035. The 7.7 million figure is the highest possible result in the report’s most ambitious scenario.
The number comes from a computer model called MFMod, which stands for Macro-Fiscal Model. The model tests what could happen if Kenya improves its score on a global measure called Control of Corruption. The report compares three levels of improvement: small, medium, and ambitious. It says the ambitious path would move Kenya close to the corruption-control levels seen in Senegal and São Tomé and Príncipe.
The report does not say Kenya would create 7.7 million completely new jobs. It uses the phrase “job equivalents.” That means the total could include new work, better earnings, more productive jobs, and more opportunities for people who already work. Kenya is expected to have about 28.4 million people working in 2035 without reform. So 7.7 million job equivalents would be about 27 percent of that workforce.
That is a huge potential change. It is why the report calls corruption a major drag on Kenya’s growth. Corruption can make it harder for businesses to get licences, power, land, loans, and fair treatment. It can also raise the cost of moving goods through Mombasa port and along Kenyan roads.
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For ordinary workers, the cost can be very direct. The report says informal workers make up 83.8 percent of Kenya’s workforce. Some may lose up to 20 percent of their daily earnings to bribes, especially to traffic police and county inspectors. For a boda boda rider earning about KSh 1,100 a day, that could mean losing a large part of the money needed for fuel, food, rent, or school fees.
Picture a market trader in Nairobi. She sells vegetables every morning and pays transport costs to bring goods to her stall. If she is stopped on the way and asked for an informal payment, she earns less that day. If corruption falls, she keeps more of her money. She may buy more stock, improve her stall, or eventually hire someone to help her.
The report says lower corruption could help in several ways. It could improve tax collection, reduce wasted public spending, and lower government borrowing costs. That could leave more money for useful investment. Businesses could face cheaper electricity, fewer delays, and fewer bribe requests. That could help them grow and hire more people.
The bigger message is simple. Corruption is not only a crime or a political issue. It can raise prices, reduce earnings, slow business, and limit opportunities for young people. The World Bank argues that cutting it could be one of Kenya’s most powerful ways to create better work and raise household incomes.