NAIROBI, Kenya Jun 25: The State Department for Devolution, through the World Bank funded Second Kenya Devolution Support Program (KDSP II), has rolled out the Environmental,Social,Health and Safety Risks and Impact Management Framework to all the 47 Counties.

The roll out marks a significant milestone in supporting counties to deliver development projects that are environmentally sustainable , socially inclusive , safe for workers and communities , accountable to citizens and aligned with the country’s Legal Framework.

Speaking during the sensitization forum targeting representatives from 47 Counties, KDSP II National Program Coordinator, Samuel Nyaga, says the development and roll out of the Environmental, Social, Health, and Risk Impacts Management manual sets a new standard in how the 47 counties implement development projects.

“The implementation of infrastructure projects in counties has faced significant challenges related to environmental sustainability, social responsibility, health, and safety compliance.”

“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 said in his address.

Nyaga believes the rollout of the manual helps counties move from “knowing about basic safeguard procedures” to actually using them. The manual supports counties to spot, prevent, and manage environmental and social risks throughout the project’s life cycle.

“Under the new framework, counties must align their infrastructure projects with national and international Environmental, Social, Health, and Safety standards.” Dr. Nyaga emphasized.

Speaking on the sidelines of the forum , Social Safeguards Specialist Muthoni Kang’ara explained that the manual ensures that health, safety, social and environmental protections are fully integrated into the core county operations and the KDSP II program.

“The manual gives counties clear steps to protect workers, engage all project stakeholders including vulnerable and marginalized groups and enhance accountability in projects. It also puts in place measures to prevent sexual abuse and harassment.” said Muthoni

Reacting to the study, Jonathan Mbului, a Grievance Redress Mechanism Specialist, stressed the need for counties to fix how they handle complaints from communities to build trust with local citizens.

“Counties need fair and trustworthy systems to handle community complaints and build public trust. These systems must make it easy for citizens to report issues, while ensuring the issues raised by citizens are fixed quickly and kept confidential,”said Mbului.

Belinda Nyakinya, Environmental Safeguards Specialist, pointed out that the manual will assist counties to include environmental and safety rules right from the start of project planning and development.

““Counties can now protect the environment and keep workers safe at every step of a project—from the first plan to the final stage.”

“This includes checking how projects affect the environment, sorting projects by their threat to the community , planning ways to protect the public , keeping the environment clean , dealing with garbage and waste, and making sure contractors follow safety rules. “ stressed Belinda.

Jilly Mureri Morabu, Occupational Safety and Health Specialist, observed that occupational safety and health issues have been fully integrated into the manual as a core implementation requirement.

She further adds that Counties will now be required to conduct risk assessments to identify workplace hazards before and during project implementation. They must also include occupational safety and health components directly in bidding documents and Bills of Quantities.

“Safety of workers must be factored in throughout the project lifecycle. Strengthening the culture of safety and compliance is important to preventing workplace injuries and ensuring safe project delivery,”