In a world that is constantly changing and with every change bringing about new ways of doing business with different outcomes, risk and how to manage it has become a critical issue. The recent global financial crisis served as a reminder that risk management and how the same is practiced is fundamental if performance objectives are to be consistentlyachieved. It has emerged that as business owners and managers strive to improve and sustain performance they are now also required to consider what risk management practices their organizations have adopted to avoid falling short of their strategic objectives. This is even more so in the financial services sector which was the most affected during the recent financial crisis. The objectives of this study were to analyze the risk management practices undertaken by Commercial Banks in Kenya and to determine and assess the effect of these risk management practices on their financial performance. The risks facing financial institutions are mainly classified into; strategic, operational, credit and market risks. In managing these risks, the risk management approach adopted by the owners and/or management was influenced by the organizational culture and support, whether or not risk management is integrated in the setting of organizational objectives, whether there is a documented risk management policy or framework, how the risk identification process is conducted, the risk analysis process, evaluation and treatment of risk; risk monitoring and review; and last but not least ensuring that there is effective risk management. In order to carry out the study primarily data was obtained through a survey done using a structured questionnaire that was sent out to the 44 Commercial Banks in the country. The aim of which was to obtain data on the risk management practices adopted by the banks. Secondary data was also obtained on the