Road Assets Maintenance and Performance of Road Agencies in Kenya

According to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) target 11.2, access to secure, affordable, accessible, and sustainable transport systems is to be provided by the year 2030. In addition, Kenya’s Vision 2030 aims to improve domestic and regional trade through the construction and rehabilitation of approximately 5,500 kilometers of roads, including 3,825 kilometers of national trunk roads and 1,675 kilometers of county roads (Kenya Vision 2030). This study aimed in establishing the effect of road assets maintenance on the performance of road agencies in Kenya. The study was guided by administrative management theory and the agency theory. Positivism research philosophy and cross-sectional research design was used. The study target population comprised of the five road agencies in Kenya. The unit of observation comprised of 251 staff from the five road agencies in Kenya. The data was collected using self-administered questionnaires and used SPSS version 26 for diagnostic tests, descriptive, and regression analysis. The findings revealed that the organization rigorously tracks road defects nationwide and includes them in maintenance planning. Moreover, the organization adheres to a strict maintenance procedure that aligns with the speed at which road defects occur. The establishment of standards for road inspection planning and compliance, as well as ensuring engineering fundamentals are in line with the inspection plan, were also observed. Furthermore, the study confirmed the presence of a moderate positive and significant correlation between road asset maintenance and the performance of road agencies in Kenya. This indicates that effective road asset maintenance contributes significantly, accounting for approximately 20% of the overall performance of road agencies in the country. These results highlight the importance of prioritizing road asset maintenance as a means to enhance the performance of road agencies in Kenya.