KENYA is losing more than Sh600 billion in stalled and mismanaged public projects due to poor planning, corruption and weak funds management, the Project Management Institute (PMI) now says.
The global professional body, which trains and certifies project managers, says systemic failures in how government projects are conceived, funded and executed are undermining national development and eroding investor confidence.
According to PMI, stalled projects cut across infrastructure, technology, water, and energy. High-profile examples include the Aror and Kimwarer dams, which were launched with huge budgets but remain incomplete years later.
PMI’s director of education and professional development Alan Maturu, said the wastage goes beyond individual projects to affect the broader economy.
“These failures not only stall growth but also deny Kenyans the benefits of investments meant to transform their lives. From dams and roads to ICT systems, money has been poured into projects that remain unfinished or fail to deliver value,” he said.
PMI Kenya chapter president Maureen Mbithi, said that multiple causes of project failures, including delayed contractor payments, corruption, bureaucratic red tape, and unqualified personnel overseeing complex initiatives.
“Many initiatives are being run by people who are unqualified in the project management space. We need professional project managers in every project to ensure efficiency and accountability,” Mbithi said.
Kenya currently has just 150,000 certified project managers, far below the projected demand of 247,000 professionals by 2035, according to PMI.
The institute is pushing for expanded training and uptake of its 16 global certifications, which cover fields such as risk management, construction and sustainability.
“Green initiatives and sustainable infrastructure are now central to development, and without certified project managers, Kenya risks more wastage and inefficiency,” added Mbithi.
Maturu added that Kenya’s project planning culture is weak, with government often rushing into projects without due diligence or technical expertise.
He points out that many projects fail because subject matter experts, such as architects and engineers, are not properly coordinated by a certified project manager.
“We want to make sure you cannot call yourself a project manager unless you're actually certified," he added. “This would bind professionals to a code of ethics and prevent common failures like collapsed buildings or roads without proper drainage.”
To address the crisis, PMI is lobbying Parliament to pass a legislation that would regulate the project management profession, ensuring that only certified professionals oversee major investments.
“Countries like China have excelled because anyone involved in project management is a certified professional bound by codes of ethics and global best practice. Kenya must move in the same direction,” argued Mbithi.
The bill, which is currently under review, seeks to make project management a regulated profession and lock out unqualified operators.
Economists warn that Sh600 billion in wasted projects is equivalent to about five per cent of Kenya’s GDP, enough to fund major priorities such as health, education, or food security.
PMI says unless Kenya strengthens regulation, professionalises project management, and enforces fiscal discipline, stalled and mismanaged projects will continue to drain the exchequer.
“Our goal is to
restore competency in delivering projects on time, on budget, and to quality
standards. Without that, Kenyans will keep paying for ghost projects that never
deliver value,” the institute said.
