Kenya ranks 21st in 2013 Ibrahim Index of African Governance

Mo Ibrahim, Founder and Chair of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.

By Judy Nguta

Nairobi, Kenya: The 2013 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG), released on Monday, shows that Kenya ranks 21st out of 52 African countries.

This is an improvement from 2012 ranking where the country took 25th position.

In this year's ranking, Mauritius topped the list with Botswana and Cape Verde in second and third poitions respectively.

No East African Community (EAC) member state made it to the top ten; Rwanda ranked 15th,Tanzania 17th, Uganda 18th with Burundi appearing at the 40th position.

Somalia has appeared at position 52, closing the list of countries in the African continent.

The Ibrahim Index of African Governance is an analysis by Mo Ibrahim Foundation aimed at checking the level of governance of African countries.

According to the Foundation, the index provides a framework for citizens, governments, institutions and business to assess the delivery of goods and services, and policy outcomes, across every country on the continent.

No country has been awarded the Sh438.4 million Mo Ibrahim Prize for the second consecutive year since Cape Verde's former president Pedro Verona Pires won the prize in 2011.

Others who have won the prize in the past include Botswana's former-president Festus Mogae in 2008 and Mozambique's Joaquim Chissano in 2007.

The Prize was established in 2007 by Mo Ibrahim, Founder and Chair of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.

To win the Prize, Laureates must be a democratically elected former African Head of State or Government who has left office in the previous three years; have served her/his constitutionally mandated term; and have demonstrated excellence in office, helping to lift people out of poverty and paving the way for sustainable and equitable prosperity.

“After careful consideration, the Prize Committee has determined not to award the 2013 Prize for Excellence in Leadership,” read a press statement from the foundation.