2. The Principal Secretary, State Department for Roads of Kenya, Eng. Joseph M. Mbugua, opened the session and thanked WP.29 and GRSG experts for their continued support to Kenya’s ongoing assessment process through a Technical Working Committee. He highlighted the strategic role of WP.29 in advancing road safety, environmental protection, industrial growth, and international trade, noting that road traffic crashes, predominantly affecting vulnerable road users, result in an estimated annual loss of five per cent of Kenya’s GDP. He recalled Kenya’s target to reduce road fatalities and injuries by 50 per cent by 2030 under the National Road Safety Action Plan (2024-2028). He informed the Group of recent regulatory and policy reforms and noted Kenya’s accession to the Washington Accord, which provides international recognition of engineering qualifications based on substantially equivalent academic and professional standards. He expressed Kenya’s intention to engage more closely with global regulatory forums and invited GRSG experts to support Kenya’s roadmap towards WP.29 participation.