The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) convened a workshop on ISO/TC 241, the technical committee that develops international road‑traffic safety management standards, at the Sarova Whitesands hotel in Mombasa on Monday.

Prof. Erastus Gatebe highlighted that Kenya loses thousands of lives each year in road crashes, stressing that standards alone are insufficient without enforcement and reliable data to gauge impact.

KEBS Deputy Director Maryann Kindiki explained that the proposed adoption of ISO 39001 will give organisations a framework to identify road‑safety risks, set measurable objectives, apply controls and continuously improve performance.

Director‑General Esther Ngari added that ISO 39001 offers a structured approach to enhance accountability and align Kenya’s road‑safety efforts with national and international objectives.

Under the new framework, responsibility for road safety would extend beyond traffic‑enforcement agencies to transport operators, public authorities and institutions involved in road‑infrastructure planning and management.

Participating stakeholders, including the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), discussed how the standards could be integrated into Kenya’s road‑safety system, with the aim of reducing crashes and serious injuries.

Implementation challenges remain, as the effectiveness of ISO 39001 will depend on enforcement, compliance and the capacity of organisations to monitor and report safety performance.