Kenya Ranks Fourth in Africa for Organized Crime as Cybercrime and Money Laundering Surge
Kenya has emerged as the fourth-worst country in Africa for organised crime, according to the ENACT Africa Organised Crime Index 2025, scoring 7.18 out of 10 and trailing only the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, and Nigeria. The nation leads East Africa in cybercrime and financial crimes, both rated at 8/10, cementing its status as a regional hub for illicit financial flows that threaten stability across the continent.
The findings reveal a troubling continent-wide trend, with African criminality averaging 5.11/10 and financial crimes emerging as the fastest-growing illicit market. State actors now facilitate criminal operations in 48% of severely affected markets, according to the comprehensive assessment of criminal markets and governance across 54 African nations.
Background and Context
The ENACT Africa Organised Crime Index, published by the Institute for Security Studies in partnership with the European Union and Interpol, provides the most detailed assessment yet of criminal networks operating across the continent. The 2025 report shows that criminality has intensified since the previous assessment, with financial crimes experiencing the most significant growth globally.
According to the report, the most pervasive criminal markets include financial crimes, human trafficking, non-renewable resource crimes, counterfeit goods trade, and arms trafficking. These illicit activities generate billions in annual revenue, often laundered through sophisticated financial networks that exploit regulatory gaps and corruption vulnerabilities.
Key Figures and Entities
State-embedded actors represent the most influential criminal actors across Africa, with severe infiltration observed in nearly half of all countries analysed. In Kenya, these dynamics have facilitated the proliferation of money laundering schemes and complex financial fraud operations that position the country as a key conduit for illicit funds in East Africa.
Beyond domestic networks, foreign criminal organisations and private military companies increasingly exploit regions of instability, creating hybrid criminal ecosystems that challenge traditional law enforcement approaches. These entities often collaborate with local officials to establish protected corridors for illegal activities ranging from wildlife trafficking to cyber operations.
Legal and Financial Mechanisms
Kenya's particularly high scores in cybercrime (8/10) and financial crimes (8/10) reflect its advanced digital infrastructure combined with inadequate regulatory oversight. Criminal networks exploit these conditions through sophisticated phishing operations, business email compromise schemes, and complex money laundering techniques that layer transactions through multiple jurisdictions.
The "wash-and-wash" deals referenced in the report involve rapidly cycling illicit funds through legitimate businesses, cryptocurrency exchanges, and offshore accounts to obscure their origins. These operations often leverage Kenya's position as East Africa's financial hub, with its well-developed banking system and international connections providing ideal cover for criminal enterprises.
International Implications and Policy Response
The Index reveals distinct regional variations in organised crime patterns that demand tailored policy responses. East Africa records some of the highest levels of human trafficking, arms trafficking, and human smuggling on the continent, while other regions face different challenges—from North Africa's financial crimes and cannabis trade to Central Africa's resource crimes and West Africa's cocaine trafficking networks.
Kenya's elevated criminality scores highlight how geography, conflict, governance, and global trafficking routes combine to create specific vulnerabilities in each region. These patterns underscore the need for enhanced international cooperation and harmonised regulatory frameworks to combat transnational criminal networks that increasingly operate across traditional boundaries.
Sources
This report draws on the ENACT Africa Organised Crime Index 2025, published by the Institute for Security Studies with support from the European Union and Interpol, along with previous regional security assessments and financial crime monitoring reports between 2023-2025.
