Strengthening Governance: Roads Department Develops Institutional Risk Management Framework

This week, the State Department for Roads has developed an Institutional Risk Management Policy Framework to strengthen governance, enhance accountability, and improve service delivery across the sector.

Addressing the Department’s Risk Management Committee at the Kenya School of Government (KSG) in Embu, the Secretary Administration, Mr. Evans Mutari, underscored that risk management is fundamental to effective public service and not an optional administrative exercise.

Mr. Mutari noted that the roads sector operates in a highly complex environment, grappling with challenges ranging from constrained financing and evolving policy frameworks to procurement demands, climate-related risks, and coordination across multiple stakeholders.

“This Risk Management Policy Framework introduces a structured and systematic approach to identifying, assessing, mitigating, and monitoring risks across the Department,” he said.

The Secretary Administration further emphasized that, since the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution, public entities are legally obligated to safeguard public resources and uphold transparency and accountability.

The Framework is anchored in Executive Order No. 1 of 2025, the Public Finance Management Act, and the Kenya Roads Act, aligning institutional risk management with national governance and accountability standards.

A key feature of the Framework is the introduction of a live Risk Register, designed to track both internal and external risks, including human resource and procurement challenges, as well as contractor- and consultancy-related exposures. Each identified risk is assigned clear ownership to enhance accountability and ensure timely mitigation.

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