All 47 Counties Receive New Safety and Environmental Framework for Development Projects

The State Department for Devolution has distributed a comprehensive Environmental, Social, Health and Safety Risks and Impact Management Framework to all 47 counties, marking a significant milestone in Kenya's drive for sustainable and accountable development at the grassroots level. The rollout is backed by World Bank funding channelled through the Second Kenya Devolution Support Program, commonly referred to as KDSP II.

Speaking at a sensitization forum on June 25 that brought together representatives from all 47 counties, KDSP II National Program Coordinator Samuel Nyaga said the manual sets a fresh benchmark for how counties plan and implement development projects. He acknowledged that county-level infrastructure work has long been hampered by inconsistent environmental management, inadequate health and safety compliance, and weak social responsibility practices. "This gap results in inconsistent approaches to environmental management, potential health and safety hazards, and socio-economic impacts that subsequently undermine sustainable development efforts in the 47 counties," Nyaga told delegates. He stressed that the framework moves counties from merely understanding safeguard procedures to actively applying them at every stage of a project's life cycle.

Social Safeguards Specialist Muthoni Kang'ara, speaking on the sidelines of the forum, said the manual fully embeds health, safety, social and environmental protections into core county operations under KDSP II. She explained that counties now have clear, structured steps to protect workers, meaningfully engage all project stakeholders — including vulnerable and marginalised groups — and enhance accountability. Kang'ara also noted that the manual includes specific provisions designed to prevent sexual abuse and harassment on project sites.

Grievance Redress Mechanism Specialist Jonathan Mbului called on counties to overhaul how they handle complaints from local communities, arguing that fair and trustworthy complaint systems are essential to winning public confidence. "These systems must make it easy for citizens to report issues, while ensuring the issues raised by citizens are fixed quickly and kept confidential," Mbului said, adding that strong grievance channels are the bedrock of trust between county governments and the people they serve.

Environmental Safeguards Specialist Belinda Nyakinya said the framework allows counties to factor in environmental and safety rules from the very first phase of project planning rather than treating them as an afterthought. She outlined that this covers conducting environmental impact assessments, classifying projects according to their risk levels to surrounding communities, managing waste and garbage disposal responsibly, keeping project environments clean, and holding contractors to strict safety standards all the way from initial design through to final completion.

Occupational Safety and Health Specialist Jilly Mureri Morabu observed that worker health and safety has been woven into the manual as a core element, ensuring that employees engaged in county projects receive standardised protections regardless of which county they work in.

Dr. Nyaga further emphasised that under the new framework, all county infrastructure projects must align with Kenya's national legal framework as well as international Environmental, Social, Health and Safety standards. Officials at the forum expressed confidence that the rollout will help counties deliver projects that are not only physically complete but also environmentally sound, worker-friendly, and genuinely responsive to the needs of surrounding communities.