Infotrak urges responsible use of leaders' performance survey

Infotrak CEO Angela Ambitho gives Embakasi East MP Babu Owino a recognition certificate after being rated the top-performing MP overall in the 11th Infotrack Elected Leaders Performance rating in Nairobi. [Collins Oduor, Standard]

Infotrak has called on the media and the public to exercise responsible data analysis to avoid sensationalisation.

Infotrak CEO Angela Ambitho on Wednesday said responsible data plays a key role in bringing forth constructive discussions on key topics.

She spoke in Nairobi where she released a survey dubbed ‘County Track Elected Leaders Performance’, conducted across the 47 counties between January and May 2026, where about 87,286 respondents were interviewed.

Ambitho said the data should not, however, be used as a scoreboard for point scoring but instead be used as a tool for reflection.

“The real value of the exercise lies in what the data reveals about the state of accountable and responsive leadership in pushing elected officials toward improvement rather than simply naming winners and losers,” she said.

Infotrak data revealed some of the best-performing lawmakers in the National Assembly and Senate, reflecting how the electorate perceives their leadership.

“This mirror will only matter if leaders and citizens alike are willing to look into it and act on what they see,” she said.

The latest survey ranked Embakasi East MP Babu Owino as the country's best-performing legislator with an 80 per cent approval rating, followed by Kabuchai’s Majimbo Kalasinga at 78 per cent. 

Taveta MP John Bwire and Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro tied in third place with 76 per cent.

Kirinyaga Woman Representative Jane Njeri Maina was named the top-performing legislator on matters of women, youth and persons living with disabilities, scoring 67 per cent. 

Although nationally women legislators got a lower rating than their male counterparts, Ambitho said the gap should not be read simply as a verdict on individual performance.

She said a Woman Representative's mandate centres on advocacy, representation and inclusion, particularly for women, youth and people with disabilities, work that rarely produces the kind of visible, ribbon-cutting outcomes like roads, classrooms or bursaries do. 

“Advocacy does not always come with a ceremony. That makes the role inherently harder to be seen for PR optics like their male counterparts, therefore making it harder for citizens to credit, even when the underlying work is being done meticulously,” read part of the report.

Notably, some Women Reps posted dramatic year-on-year gains with Nandi's Cynthia Jepkosgei Muge climbing from position 32 in 2024 to position 7 in 2026.

Samburu’s Pauline Lenguris, Mandera's Umul Ker Kassim Sheikh, Kajiado's Leah Sopiato Sankaire and Laikipia's Jane Wangechi Kagiri rounded out the five most improved, each posting double-digit gains in their national rank.

The report noted that there is urgent need to prompt a conversation about how the office of Woman Rep communicates its work to the public, other than hasty conclusions that the office-holders themselves are underperforming.