on Selected Road Construction Projects
Delivery in Kenya
FEATURED PAPER
By George Onyango Agumba, Dr. Patrick Gudda, Dr. Simon Mwaura
Maasai Mara University
Narok, Kenya
ABSTRACT
To assess the effect of risk mitigation strategies on project delivery, this study focused on three Kenyan roads: the 27 km Nairobi Expressway (A8), the 172 km Isebania-Kisii-Ahero (A1) corridor, and the 219 km Kenol-Isiolo highway (A2). Structured questionnaires were used to collect primary data, supplemented by secondary data from reputable web sources. The analysis employed both descriptive and inferential statistics. Using SPSS version 26, a moderated hierarchical multiple linear regression model was fitted to evaluate how dynamic capabilities influenced the relationship between risk management strategies and road project delivery outcomes. The model showed the predictors accounted for 37.1% of the variance in delivery (R² = .371, Adj R² = .299). This was statistically significant, F(4, 35) = 5.167, p < .05, with the key predictor showing a significant effect (t = 6.049, p < .05). Key findings revealed that resource risk avoidance, human resource risk reduction and insurance risk transference significantly influenced road construction project delivery. While dynamic capabilities enhanced the relationship between these three strategies and project delivery, they did not moderate the effect of project control. Consequently, the study urges construction firms to deepen their application of resource risk avoidance, human resource risk reduction, and insurance transference, primarily by investing in capacity building for risk and project management.
Keywords: Resource Risk Avoidance, Human Resource Risk Reduction, Project Control, Insurance Risk Transference, Projects Delivery
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Roads make a crucial contribution to economic development and growth and bring important social benefits (Seid, Devadoss, & Fekadu, 2019). According to Ivanova and Masarova (2019), road infrastructure is a key prerequisite for the social and economic development of any country. One of the road projects is the construction of the Nairobi Expressway Road project (A8). The initial budget estimate provided by the Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA) was Ksh.65.2 billion, however, the cost rose to Ksh.87.9 billion (Kimuyu, 2022). Another road construction project is the Isebania-Kisii-Ahero (A1) Road Rehabilitation project. Initial cost of the project was Sh8.5 billion but was revised to Sh11 billion after the appraisal.
Kenol-Isiolo Road (A2), the 219 Kilometers highway is another road being built in two segments: Kenol-Marua (84km) and Marua-Isiolo (135km) (Thuita, 2023). The project was initially estimated to be constructed for a period of 5 years (2020-2025) (African Development Bank Group, 2023).
The road construction project is scheduled to be completed by December 2023 ahead of schedule and without compromising on the quality according to African Development Bank president Adenisa Akinwuni (Makena, 2022). There is a need to investigate risk management strategies the companies implemented to mitigate uncertainties during the progress of road construction.
The Problem
Several studies conducted have linked risk management strategies with firm performance (Ondara 2017; Rwelamila, 2017; Akoh, 2018). Research (Githere and Sang, 2021; Mongina and Moronge, 2021) and have shown that failure of project managers together with project execution team comprising of the KeNHA Engineers, supervising Consultants, and the key persons of the Contractor to have agreed-upon procedures and framework to manage risk was resulting to cost overrun and delay in completion of road construction projects.
Although extant literature has advanced understanding of risk management in road construction, the quantitative influence of risk management strategies on project delivery outcomes within the Kenyan context remains inadequately explored. This study aims to resolve this specific knowledge gap.
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How to cite this paper: Agumba, G. O., Gudda, P., Mwaura, S. (2025). Strategic Risk Mitigation and Its Influence on Selected Road Construction Projects Delivery in Kenya; PM World Journal, Vol. XIV, Issue X, October. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/pmwj157-Oct2025-Agumba-et-al-Strategic-Risk-Mitigation-Influence-on-Road-Construction-2.pdf
About the Authors
George Onyango Agumba
Narok, Kenya
George O. Agumba is a Lecturer in Project Management at Maasai University with over 10 years of university teaching experience in the field of Project Management. He is actively involved in the mentorship program for the project management students at Maasai Mara University, Kenya. His research focus includes Project Monitoring and Evaluation, Technology and Innovation. He can be contacted at agumbag2018@gmail.com
Dr. Patrick Gudda
Narok, Kenya
Dr. Patrick Gudda is a Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship and Project Management at Maasai Mara University, Kenya. Dr. Gudda’s experience and expertise spans over 25 years in both academia and industry. He has vast industry experience in Business Development and Consultancy Services both in the public and private sector including the UNDP. His research focus includes Technology, Innovation, Quality Management, Project Monitoring and Evaluation, with numerous publications and conference presentations. He can be contacted at pgudda9@gmail.com
Dr. Simon Mwaura
Narok, Kenya
Dr. Simon Mwaura is an accomplished agricultural economist and postdoctoral fellow at Bangor University (UK), specialising in natural resource economics, climate resilience, and biodiversity conservation. He also serves as a Lecturer in the Department of Economics at Maasai Mara University, Kenya, where he teaches, supervises research, and mentors emerging scholars. His research focuses on sustainable agriculture, water resource management, and rural livelihood resilience in East Africa. He has published widely and secured competitive research grants from the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) and the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM). Beyond academia, Dr Mwaura leads Trendy Animal Feeds Ltd. (Signature Feeds) — a social enterprise promoting inclusive and sustainable livestock feed systems that empower women, youth, and persons with disabilities across Kenya. He is also active in business sustainability coaching, mentorship, project management, and consultancy, bridging research and practice to foster resilient and equitable agri-food systems. He can be contacted at ngangamwaura@gmail.com
