Waiguru, Arati, Ole Ntutu lead Politrack Governors Scorecard

Waiguru topped the Thematic Governors Performance Index with a composite score of 61.5 percent, and also recorded the highest public satisfaction rating in the country at 68 percent.

The index, released on Friday, assesses governors' performance over the 2022 to 2026 period based on a citizen survey.

Kisii Governor Simba Arati came second with 58.5 percent, while Narok's Patrick Ole Ntutu and Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti tied for third on 57.3 percent each.

According to Politrack, the survey was conducted between July 13 and 17, 2026, across all 47 counties, sampling 3,000 respondents through Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews.

The firm put the margin of error at plus or minus 4.0 percent at a 95 percent confidence level. Each county's composite score was derived from an average of its ratings on the four thematic areas.

Even at the top, the scores point to modest citizen approval. Waiguru's leading mark of 61.5 percent was the only score above 60 percent, with the rest of the top 20 clustered between 47 and 58 percent, suggesting governors still have considerable ground to cover in the eyes of the residents they serve.

The report credited Waiguru's first-place finish to projects including the Sagana Agro-Industrial Park, an e-voucher system for farm inputs reaching 10,000 farmers, upgrades to the Kianyaga and Kimbimbi hospitals, and water schemes serving thousands of households.

Politrack also flagged notable patterns in how different groups rated their county governments. Women rated health, water and public satisfaction higher than men, while men rated agriculture slightly higher.

Middle-aged respondents aged between 26 and 60 gave the highest ratings, with the youth and the elderly rating services lower. Urban residents were consistently more satisfied than their rural counterparts, with the widest gap recorded in water access.

In its recommendations, the firm urged county governments to close the urban-rural service gap, particularly in water, adopt gender-responsive budgeting, and scale up successful pilots such as Kirinyaga's e-voucher system and Homa Bay's health model.

The full top 20 ranking is as follows:

Anne Waiguru (Kirinyaga) - 61.5%

Simba Arati (Kisii) - 58.5%

Patrick Ole Ntutu (Narok) - 57.3%

Wavinya Ndeti (Machakos) - 57.3%

Jonathan Lati Lelelit (Samburu) - 54.3%

Kimani Wamatangi (Kiambu) - 53.3%

Abdi Guyo (Isiolo) - 53.0%

Stephen Sang (Nandi) - 52.8%

Gladys Wanga (Homa Bay) - 52.5%

Irungu Kang'ata (Murang'a) - 52.0%

Gideon Mung'aro (Kilifi) - 51.8%

Jonathan Bii (Uasin Gishu) - 50.8%

Muthomi Njuki (Tharaka Nithi) - 50.3%

Ahmed Abdullahi Jiir (Wajir) - 50.0%

Fernandes Barasa (Kakamega) - 49.5%

Edward Kahiga (Nyeri) - 49.3%

Anyang' Nyong'o (Kisumu) - 49.0%

Wesley Rotich (Elgeyo Marakwet) - 48.5%

Moses Badilisha (Nyandarua) - 48.3%

Fatuma Achani (Kwale) - 48.0%

Paul Otuoma (Busia) - 47.8%