Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro emerged as the top-performing Members of Parliament, while Kirinyaga Senator Kamau Murango and Kirinyaga Woman Representative Jane Njeri Maina were ranked the best in their respective categories in a new nationwide Infotrak survey.
The survey found Kenyans judge elected leaders primarily on their ability to fulfil campaign promises, remain accountable and deliver visible development.
Mr Owino topped the MPs' rankings with an approval rating of 80 per cent, ahead of Kabuchai MP Joseph Kalasinga, who scored 78 per cent, while Mr Nyoro shared third place with Taveta MP John Okano Bwire at 76 per cent. Senator Murango led all senators with 69 per cent, while Ms Maina emerged as the country's highest-rated woman representative after scoring 67 per cent.
Kabuchai MP Majimbo Kalasinga addresses residents at a funeral in the constituency in Bungoma County on June 5, 2021.
Photo credit: Brian Ojamaa | Nation Media Group
The findings, released on Wednesday are part of Infotrak's 2026 CountyTrak Elected Leaders Performance Index , which measured public perception of the performance of MPs, senators and woman representatives across all the 47 counties. Respondents were asked to rate their leaders on a scale of one to 10, with one representing very poor performance and 10 representing excellent performance.
Infotrak Chief Executive Angela Ambitho said the survey was designed to capture the voices of ordinary Kenyans and should not be confused with a technical audit of elected leaders' performance.
"The rating does not create public opinion. It measures it," Ms Ambitho said, noting that the survey captures how citizens experience leadership rather than evaluating technical indicators such as parliamentary attendance, committee work, legislative output or utilisation of public funds.
Instead, she said, citizens form an overall judgement based on "accessibility, visibility, responsiveness, trust, communication, delivery and perceived stewardship of public resources."
"This rating therefore respects the citizen as the evaluator. It allows Kenyans to say, in a structured and comparable way, how they experienced the leaders elected to serve them," she said.
According to the survey, delivery on campaign promises remains the single most important factor influencing how Kenyans rate elected leaders.
Ms Ambitho said voters continue to remember commitments made during election campaigns and judge leaders against whether they have made genuine efforts to fulfil them.
"Citizens remember what leaders said they would do. A promise may be made during a campaign, repeated at a public meeting, announced through media or reinforced through community expectations. When citizens later assess performance, they compare public commitments with visible outcomes. They do not expect every promise to be fulfilled immediately, but they expect seriousness, follow-through and evidence of effort," she said.
Transparency and accountability emerged as the second most important consideration in determining public perception of performance.
"Citizens reward leaders they perceive as accountable. This includes how leaders explain decisions, communicate the use of public resources, respond to questions and handle public scrutiny. Accountability is not only a technical issue. It is also a relationship issue," Ms Ambitho said.
The survey further showed that visible development projects, prudent management of public resources, accessibility and responsiveness to constituents also play a significant role in shaping public opinion.
According to Infotrak, citizens tend to associate MPs particularly with tangible constituency projects funded through the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF), including school infrastructure, bursaries and community facilities, even though their constitutional mandate extends to legislation and oversight.
The report notes that while the survey is not an audit of expenditure, citizens form strong impressions about whether public resources appear to reach communities and whether leaders are perceived to be protecting public interest. Leaders who maintain close contact with residents and communicate regularly are also more likely to receive favourable ratings.
Besides the national ranking, the survey identified the highest-performing MPs across the country's regions.
Mr Owino emerged as Nairobi's highest-rated MP with his 80 per cent score, while Mr Nyoro topped the Central region after scoring 76 per cent.
In the Coast region, Taveta MP John Okano Bwire led with 76 per cent, while Mbooni MP Erastus Kivasu Nzioka emerged the highest-rated legislator in the Eastern region with 71 per cent.
Kabuchai MP Joseph Kalasinga topped the Western region after scoring 78 per cent, while Uriri MP Mark Nyamita led Nyanza with 71 per cent.
In the Rift Valley, Mogotio MP Reuben Kiborek, Keiyo South MP Gideon Kimaiyo, Belgut MP Nelson Koech and Samburu West MP Naisula Lesuuda jointly emerged as the region's top performers after each scored 73 per cent.
Eldas MP Adan Keynan was ranked as the highest-performing MP in the North Eastern region with a score of 63 per cent.
The survey also ranked senators, with Kirinyaga Senator Kamau Murango emerging as the country's best-performing senator after scoring 69 per cent.
Kirinyaga Senator James Kamau Murango at one of his macadamia farms in South Ngariana, Mwea Constituency on December 26, 2023.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group
Nyandarua Senator John Methu followed with 68 per cent, while Murang'a Senator Joel Nyutu ranked third with 65 per cent.
Nandi Senator Samson Cherarkey came fourth with 64 per cent, followed by Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot on 63 per cent.
Baringo Senator Vincent Kiprono, Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka and Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo each scored 62 per cent to jointly occupy the next position, while Samburu Senator Steve Lelegwe and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna tied on 61 per cent.
Regionally, Kamau Murango led Central Kenya, Dan Maanzo topped Eastern, Samson Cherarkey was the highest-rated senator in Rift Valley, Godfrey Osotsi led Western, Richard Onyonka emerged first in Nyanza, Ali Roba topped North Eastern, while Edwin Sifuna was Nairobi's highest-rated senator. On the Coast, Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana and Lamu Senator Joseph Githuku jointly topped the region with scores of 55 per cent.
Among women representatives, Kirinyaga Woman Representative Jane Njeri Maina emerged as the country's top performer with a rating of 67 per cent.
Kirinyaga County Women Rep Jane Njeri Maina after the interview on August 06, 2025.
Photo credit: Francis Nderitu I Nation Media Group
West Pokot Woman Representative Rael Chepkemoi Kasiwai followed with 61 per cent, while Samburu's Pauline Lenguris ranked third with 60 per cent.
Kakamega Woman Representative Elsie Muhanda and Makueni's Rose Museo Mumo tied on 58 per cent, while Turkana's Cecilia Asinyen Ngitit followed with 56 per cent. Nandi Woman Representative Cynthia Jepkosgei Muge was ranked seventh with 55 per cent, ahead of Homa Bay's Bensuda Joyce Atieno Osogo, who scored 54 per cent.
Ms Ambitho said women representatives often face unique challenges because many of their constitutional responsibilities, including advocacy and representation of women, youth and other vulnerable groups, are less visible than infrastructure projects commonly associated with MPs.
"Women Representatives therefore often have to work harder to make their mandate visible, understood and valued," she said, adding that lower ratings should not automatically be interpreted as poor performance but could also reflect limited public understanding of the office.
The survey covered all 47 counties, 290 constituencies and 1,450 wards between January and May this year.
Infotrak interviewed 87,286 respondents through Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI). The first phase of the study, conducted between January and March, involved 36,200 respondents before a second survey of 51,086 participants was undertaken to increase the sample size and ensure every constituency had at least 300 respondents.
Sampling was based on population proportionate to size using census data and took into account demographic characteristics including age and gender. The data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).
The research was conducted at a 95 per cent confidence level, with county-specific margins of error ranging from ±1.37 per cent in Nairobi, which had the largest sample of 5,100 respondents, to ±3.61 per cent in Lamu, where 738 respondents were interviewed.
According to Infotrak, the survey is the first of its kind in Kenya to generate ward-level statistics on citizens' perceptions of the performance of Members of Parliament, senators and women representatives across the country.
