An IAEA team assessing Kenya's radiation protection processes has found that the country's shift to digital radiation monitoring is optimizing worker protection. The team also recommended that Kenya could further strengthen occupational radiation protection by increasing training and appointing more radiation protection officers at nuclear facilities.
''By hosting this mission, Kenya highlights its ongoing commitment to strengthening nuclear and radiation protection, fostering a safer work environment for those requiring radiation monitoring and safety measures,'' said Jizeng Ma, Head of the IAEA Occupational Radiation Protection Unit and mission team coordinator.
Occupational Radiation Protection Appraisal
The Occupational Radiation Protection Appraisal (ORPAS) mission, which took place in March 2025, evaluated the regulatory and practical implementation of the protection arrangements in Kenya. It was conducted at the request of the government of Kenya and hosted by the Kenya Nuclear Regulatory Authority (KNRA) in the capital Nairobi.
The team comprised eight international experts from Botswana, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Namibia, Morocco, Senegal, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zimbabwe, as well as two from the IAEA. They carried out interviews with KNRA representatives and visited hospitals, laboratories and industrial facilities in Nairobi, including a nuclear medicine department, dosimetry laboratory and non-destructive testing laboratory.
"These visits offered the team a firsthand look at how radiation protection measures are implemented across different sectors," said Joseph Amoako, Associate Professor of Health Physics at the School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences-University of Ghana and mission team leader, adding that, ''the preparation and arrangements put in place before we arrived ensured a successful mission."
Kenya, an IAEA member country since 1965, established the KNRA in 2019 to strengthen the national regulatory framework for nuclear and radiation safety was well as nuclear security. Cooperation with the IAEA has seen the development of a new research reactor programme and advancement in its infrastructure for planned nuclear power.
Strengths and Areas for Improvement for Kenyan Radiation Protection
During the mission, the team acknowledged the country's robust quality management system, highlighting the digital systems of licensing and recording individual dose data, the multidisciplinary approach used by hospital radiation safety committees, and the consistent maintenance of equipment by qualified personnel, as valuable components of the national radiation protection system.
Recommendations for improvement included the enactment of relevant regulations in the Nuclear Regulatory Act, establishing a National Dose Registry for individual monitoring of workers, and strengthened coordination among national regulatory and technical service providers.
"The mission affirmed the progress we have made in enhancing occupational radiation protection and provided valuable guidance for the way forward," said Isaac Mundia, ORPAS National Coordinator at the Kenya Nuclear Regulatory Authority. "It helped us pinpoint areas for further development, such as improving coordination among relevant institutions, aligning national regulations with IAEA safety standards and improving personal dose monitoring services.''
What is the role of ORPAS?
The IAEA ORPAS missions provide independent reviews of legislation, regulation and practical implementation of radiation protection requirements at facilities and technical service providers regarding occupational radiation protection. The reviews are based on the IAEA International Basic Safety Standards (Part 3) and recommendations provided in the General Safety Guide on Occupational Radiation Protection (GSG-7) as the international benchmark for protection and safety.
Since its establishment in 2001, ORPAS has supported countries in enhancing their occupational radiation protection frameworks. To date, more than 30 missions have been conducted globally, contributing to the broader effort to protect workers from harmful effects of ionizing radiation.
Learn more about the IAEA Occupational Radiation Protection Appraisal Service (ORPAS) and other IAEA review missions and advisory services.
