Engineers Board of Kenya, PS Mbugua Champion Construction Safety at GECR Roundtable

Principal Secretary, State Department for Roads, Engineer Joseph Mungai Mbugua (centre), officially opened the Global Engineering Capability Review Nairobi Roundtable, a safety-in-construction workshop convened by Engineers Board of Kenya and the Royal Academy of Engineering (UK). Present, left to right: Engineers Board of Kenya leadership; Royal Academy of Engineering representatives; Institution of Engineers of Kenya officials. 

Principal Secretary for Roads, Engineer Joseph Mungai Mbugua, CBS, graced the Roundtable on Construction Sector Safety and the Global Engineering Capability Review (GECR) 2025 at Tamarind Tree Hotel in Nairobi today. The full-day event, organized by the Royal Academy of Engineering through Engineering X in collaboration with the Engineers Board of Kenya and the Institution of Engineers of Kenya, brought together stakeholders to explore construction safety standards and global engineering capabilities.

The Engineers Board of Kenya champions this vision through regulation, capacity building, and enforcement of engineering standards. The organization's framework is anchored on five core values:

These principles align with Kenya Vision 2030 goals and support the Board's mission:

Understanding the GECR Framework

The Global Engineering Capability Review 2025, developed by the Royal Academy of Engineering, provides a systems-based assessment framework examining engineering capacity across 115 countries. The GECR takes a comprehensive approach, looking beyond just skills to understand how engineering institutions, policies and investments translate into safer, higher-quality infrastructure. The review compares the Engineering Capacity Index (2025) with the Safety and Quality Index to identify where unsafe engineering poses significant risks and where interventions could be most effective.

Kenya's Construction Safety Imperative

Kenya's construction sector has faced significant safety challenges. Research shows the overall prevalence of occupational injury among construction workers in Nairobi County stands at 74%. Between 2015 and 2023, the sector recorded 9,071 reported injury cases of varying severity, including 64 fatal cases. Less than 1% of project funding is currently allocated to safety practices in construction, highlighting the urgent need for enhanced safety capabilities across the continent.

The roundtable provided a platform for stakeholders to engage with international safety standards and frameworks. The Institution of Engineers of Kenya and Engineers Board of Kenya continue their collaborative approach to promoting engineering excellence and sustainable development. Follow the State Department for Roads for updates on Kenya's infrastructure development priorities.