State keen to adopt smart road technology to improve safety

The government has reaffirmed its commitment to accelerating the adoption of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) to improve traffic management, road safety, and operational monitoring across the country.

Speaking in Mombasa during the inaugural international research conference organised by the Kenya Institute of Highways and Building Technology (KIHBT) in Mombasa, Principal Secretary (PS) for Roads Eng. Joseph Mbugua said the government has embraced digital transformation to enhance efficiency in the transport sector.

The PS cited digitised weighbridge operations, which he said have strengthened axle-load enforcement and helped protect road infrastructure that the government has heavily invested in.

“Our materials testing and research systems have been upgraded, improving accuracy and traceability in quality assurance,” said PS Mbugua.

“In this digital era, collaboration is not optional but necessary to keep pace with the complexity of modern infrastructure. Research, innovation, and well-trained stakeholders are not luxuries; they are insurance policies for the future,” he added.

The PS noted that Africa has the world’s youngest population and is urbanising faster than any other region, while motorisation rates remain relatively low, giving the continent an opportunity to shape a sustainable transport future.

“Countries that industrialised earlier are now spending enormous sums retrofitting climate resilience into old infrastructure. We do not have to repeat that mistake. The UN Decade of Sustainable Transport places transport at the centre of global development,” he stated.

PS Mbugua further noted that several African countries are already making bold moves toward cleaner and sustainable transport systems.

He cited Ethiopia’s ban on the importation of non-electric vehicles, Rwanda’s duty exemptions for cleaner vehicles, and Dakar’s fully electric Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system operating more than 140 articulated e-buses.

“Kenya is well positioned to take advantage of this moment, but only if we match our infrastructure ambitions with equally serious investments in the people who will deliver them. Research is the foundation beneath all of it,” he said.

The PS further disclosed that Kenya’s push toward industrialisation is being slowed by weak infrastructure and skills gaps.

“We score well in digital finance and connectivity but lag in core industrial drivers such as transport systems, science, and technical education. This imbalance risks producing economic growth that does not create enough jobs or expand manufacturing,” he said.

He noted that although the country is building more roads than ever before, there is a risk of having fewer skilled professionals to design, construct, and maintain them, especially in the era of climate change.

PS Mbugua urged institutions of higher learning to integrate emerging technologies into engineering curricula that have traditionally overlooked them. He lauded KIHBT for taking bold steps in capacity building and shaping sector policies through research-driven solutions.

He noted that the country’s infrastructure and transport systems continue to face numerous challenges, including road safety concerns; drainage failures; technological and performance gaps; as well as the growing effects of climate change, all of which require research-based responses.

In the wake of climate change introducing new realities, engineers were challenged to rethink standards, specifications, and mitigation measures using scientific precision.

On her part, PS for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Dr Esther Muoria said the country’s rapid development programmes, including the housing initiative, require skilled manpower, practical research, innovation, strong institutions, and technical competence.

“No country can build world-class infrastructure without world-class skills. Every road, bridge, corridor, and transport system depends on competent technicians, technologists, engineers, artisans, researchers, and innovators. The quality of infrastructure is therefore directly linked to the quality of skills behind it,” said Dr Muoria.

She affirmed that the State Department for TVET remains committed to a training system that delivers competence, practical outcomes, and skills that translate into productivity, employability, and national competitiveness.

“This requires stronger collaboration between training institutions, industry, regulators, development partners, and government agencies. Industry must continue opening its doors for workplace exposure, mentorship, technology transfer, and practical training,” she said.

“Research must inform policy and implementation. Institutions must remain responsive to the changing demands of the economy,” she added.

KIHBT Director Arch. Geoffrey Githiri said the institution, which was established during the colonial era to train Africans in technical disciplines, has transformed over the last six years into a regional centre of excellence through support from the East Africa Skills for Transformation and Regional Integration Project.

“Through EASTRIP, KIHBT has systematically integrated sustainability into its curricula, not by merely adding an environmental module at the end of a course, but by embedding low-carbon construction practices and climate-adaptive designs across its training programmes,” said Githiri.

By Sadik Hassan