Nairobi, Kenya – August 14, 2025 – West Pokot County has been crowned Kenya’s happiest county in Timely Kenya’s latest three-year governors’ scorecard. The report measured both public satisfaction and governors’ performance since the 2022 General Election.
Led by Governor Simon Kachapin, West Pokot topped the happiness index, followed by Kwale County in second place. Kiambu ranked third, while Narok and Homa Bay took fourth and fifth positions, respectively.
Counties Struggling With Public Morale
At the bottom of the rankings, Nyamira was rated as Kenya’s least happy county. It was followed by Kericho, Isiolo, Nairobi, and Bomet, which rounded out the bottom five.
The happiness rankings were based on resident feedback on county governance, development progress, and the quality of service delivery.
Top Performing Governors
While Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani, Homa Bay’s Gladys Wanga, and Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata led in service delivery with scores of 56.6%, 54%, and 52.8% respectively, the survey noted that strong performance often aligned with public morale — but not always.
Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi (53.3%) and Narok’s Patrick Ole Ntutu (52.8%) appeared on both the top performance and top happiness lists, showing a consistent link between results and resident satisfaction.
Mixed Mood on Governors’ Performance
The report revealed that 61.8% of respondents would re-elect their current governor in 2027 if serving a first term, citing ongoing development projects and delivery on campaign pledges. However, 38.2% preferred new leadership to speed up progress and address long-standing issues.
When asked about overall satisfaction with governors’ achievements over the past three years, only 43% expressed approval. The remaining 57% voiced dissatisfaction, highlighting a mixed public mood despite notable pockets of contentment.
How the Survey Was Conducted
Timely Kenya polled 4,805 respondents between August 3 and 11, 2025, using Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI). About 40% of respondents were from county towns and cities, while 60% lived in rural areas.
The study’s findings add to the ongoing national conversation about governance, service delivery, and the real measure of devolution’s impact on everyday life in Kenya.
