Governors Push Back as MPs Seek to Exclude Counties from Road Maintenance Fund

The Council of Governors (COG) has strongly opposed remarks made by Members of the National Assembly regarding county governments’ share of the Roads Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF).

In a press statement issued on Thursday, February 27, the COG criticized lawmakers for their push to exclude counties from receiving the fund.

The governors argued that counties are responsible for the majority of roads in Kenya and should therefore continue to benefit from the allocation.

This backlash comes a day after Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah proposed that roads across the country be reclassified to clearly distinguish those under the National Government from those managed by County Governments.

While addressing Parliament, Ichung’wah suggested that Kenya should adopt a classification system similar to other African countries.

“We need to reach a point where the Ministry of Roads and Infrastructure properly classifies roads. If a road is built and maintained by the National Government, it should be labeled as NGA – National Government Class A. Similarly, county roads should be clearly marked to avoid confusion,” Ichung’wah stated.

However, COG Chairperson Ahmed Abdullahi dismissed the proposal, calling it unpatriotic and a misinterpretation of the Constitution. He emphasized that both the National and County Governments have distinct roles in road development and maintenance.

“We are deeply concerned by these baseless claims from Members of Parliament regarding the allocation of the Roads Maintenance Levy Fund to counties,” Abdullahi said.

He clarified that national highways and major roads fall under the National Government, while County Governments are responsible for county roads.

“The RMLF was specifically established to maintain roads developed by both levels of government. In fact, County Governments oversee the construction and maintenance of a significant portion of Kenya’s road network,” he explained.

COG cited data from the Kenya Roads Board’s 2024 Road Condition and Inventory Survey, which shows that County Governments have developed and maintained 5,400 kilometers of tarmac roads—an increase from 4,200 kilometers in 2018.

Governors also accused MPs of failing in their duty by delaying the enactment of the County Governments Additional Allocations Act for the 2024/25 financial year. This delay, they argued, has negatively impacted service delivery to Kenyan citizens.

Abdullahi urged Parliament to focus on legislative reforms that align with the 2010 Constitution. He specifically called for amendments to the Roads Act, 2007, to implement the Cabinet’s decision to merge the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) and the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), as both agencies are currently handling county-level functions.

He further called on the Senate, civil society organizations, county leaders, and the general public to hold the National Assembly accountable to ensure counties remain beneficiaries of the RMLF.

This dispute over road funds has been ongoing, with MPs previously demanding control over the Ksh.10.5 billion Roads Maintenance Levy Fund as a precondition for approving Ksh.400 billion in sharable revenue for counties in the 2024/25 budget.

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