by Elizabeth Ikpaha

Freedom House says that Kenya is a “Partly Free” country. The country has regular polls with more than one party, and the media and civil society are both strong. But systemic problems like widespread corruption, police brutality, and laws that make it hard for journalists and human rights defenders to do their jobs hurt its democratic standing. Kenya got 52 out of 100 on the 2024 Freedom in the World Index. This means that while Kenya has strong civil liberties and strong political involvement, it also has major problems with government and civil liberties. 

With a score of 44 out of 100 on the democracy measure, Freedom House says that Nigeria is “Partly Free” in 2024. Even though the country has regular elections and a constitution, its democratic system is weak because of big problems like corruption, political unrest, and limited civil freedoms. The government has problems like limiting the freedom of the media, not doing enough to fight crime, and getting involved in politics. Press freedom is especially at risk because writers are often limited and threatened.

Both countries, like Kenya, have constitutional systems and a mix of democratic and authoritarian elements. However, the level of democratic unity varies between the two. Most people think that Kenya’s systems are more stable when it comes to press freedom and open government. These differences happen because of Nigeria’s more complicated racial and religious relationships and higher levels of violent conflict, which affects how it is governed and how well its democracy works.