New push to professionalise social safeguards as Kenya faces Sh600b project losses
Enterprise
By
Nanjinia Wamuswa
| Sep 09, 2026
Arror and Kimwarer multipurpose dams were envisioned as transformative projects that would deliver a wide range of benefits to local communities, including irrigation for farmers, electricity generation, reliable water supply, employment opportunities, environmental conservation and broader regional development.
However, the two projects located in Elgeyo Marakwet County became synonymous with corruption allegations, investigations and controversy and were never completed as originally planned. As a result, many of the anticipated benefits have yet to be realised.
The projects also carried significant social implications, as hundreds of families were expected to be affected by land acquisition and resettlement. This made fair compensation, livelihood restoration and meaningful community engagement critical to their successful implementation.
However, residents and civil society groups raised concerns over inadequate public consultation, delayed compensation and uncertainty about whether local communities would ultimately receive the promised benefits.
Experts now warn that Kenya could be losing up to Sh600 billion to delays, legal disputes, compensation claims, project cancellations and community conflicts arising from inadequate social safeguards in development projects.
They say failure to properly identify, assess and manage social risks in major investments, including energy, agriculture, mining, highways, dams, ports, airports, railways, as well as investments in education and healthcare, has resulted in costly disruptions, human rights violations and missed economic opportunities.
It is against this backdrop that experts have launched the Social Impact Management Association of Kenya (SIMAK) to professionalise the practice of social safeguards and strengthen the management of social risks throughout the lifecycle of development projects.
The association brings together professionals involved in social impact management to ensure sustainability standards are integrated into the planning and implementation of development projects.
SIMAK interim chairperson Prof Edward Ontita, says the association will advocate for every development project to have qualified social safeguards professionals responsible for identifying, monitoring and managing social risks before they escalate into costly disputes, project delays or human rights violations.
“Development is ultimately about people and communities, who must be treated with dignity and have their rights protected throughout the project lifecycle," he explains.
Ontita says that social safeguards have become increasingly important as governments and development partners invest heavily in climate resilience, infrastructure and economic transformation programmes.
He explains that trained social safeguards play a critical role in preventing gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, labour rights violations, unsafe working conditions and other social risks that frequently delay projects, inflate costs and undermine development outcomes.
"In every project, we ask fundamental questions: Who will be affected? Whose land will be acquired? Are people being compensated fairly and on time? Are workers protected? Development is ultimately about people and their rights must always come first," Ontita explains.
He further notes that as Kenya accelerates investments in climate change mitigation, carbon markets and biodiversity conservation, stronger social safeguards will ensure climate action protects people's rights, promotes inclusion and delivers equitable benefits to the communities most affected.
He warns that climate action cannot succeed unless communities are meaningfully involved from the earliest stages of project planning.
"Climate change is now central to development. Kenya is witnessing increased investments in greening programmes, carbon credit initiatives and biodiversity conservation. However, many communities are still not adequately consulted before these projects begin. People must understand how they will benefit and how revenues and other benefits will be shared," he says.
He regrets the unending violations of workers' rights in some sectors, particularly agriculture such as cases of gender-based violence, poor working conditions, low wages and inadequate access to basic services.
He says when workers are not paid or communities raise grievances, projects often experience delays or complete work stoppages. Whether projects are funded by taxpayers or development partners, labour and machinery remain idle while costs continue to accumulate.
When these losses are combined across projects, Kenya could be losing up to Sh600 billion due to non-compliance with social safeguards.
Dr Lynett Ochuma, Acting Secretary at the Directorate of Social Development, State Department for Social Protection and Senior Citizen Affairs says the establishment of the association professionalises the sector by registering qualified practitioners and standardising the methodologies used in social impact assessments.
"We realised many individuals were presenting themselves as experts without a recognised professional framework. The association will help ensure only qualified practitioners undertake social risk assessments using consistent standards and tools,” she says.
Dr Ochuma explains that the government established the Social Risk and Impact Management Unit after recognising that social risks were not being adequately addressed under existing environmental assessment processes.
As a result, the country was losing significant resources because these risks were not being effectively mitigated.
The primary objective of social risk and impact management is to identify, assess and manage the potential social risks associated with development projects.
She says the government has developed a draft National Social Risk and Impact Management Policy to coordinate social risk management across the country and establish a consistent framework for social impact assessments.
The policy aims to address various key issues including community health and safety, labour rights, sexual exploitation and abuse, stakeholder engagement, land acquisition, involuntary resettlement and the protection of indigenous peoples and other vulnerable groups.
Kenya's approach follows the internationally recognised hierarchy of social risk management, first avoiding risks wherever possible, then reducing and mitigating unavoidable impacts, and finally providing fair compensation where impacts cannot be prevented.
She emphasised that stakeholder engagement remains central to the process, “Communities must be involved throughout the development process to ensure projects do not cause harm and that everyone benefits from development. This promotes inclusion while protecting the rights of affected people."