NAIROBI, Kenya – Lawmakers have pushed back against proposed changes to the Kenya Roads (Amendment) Bill, 2025, accusing Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir of attempting to divert the Road Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF) from road works to administrative uses.
Appearing before the National Assembly’s Transport and Infrastructure Committee on Thursday, Chirchir defended his Ministry’s proposal to allocate 1.5 per cent of the Fund to the State Department of Roads for monitoring, evaluation, and quality assurance audits, and to retain 10 per cent for “critical interventions.”
But MPs warned that carving out such allocations could set a dangerous precedent and undermine the Fund’s core purpose.
“This would be the first time a State department receives operational funds directly, outside the National Treasury,” Nyaribari Chache MP Zaheer Jhanda said, questioning the legality and oversight of the plan. “What exactly is the ‘Roads Department’ in this case, and who would supervise it?”
Committee chair and Ndia MP George Kariuki also pressed Chirchir to define “critical interventions” and provide safeguards against misuse.
The RMLF is currently distributed to road agencies for maintenance and rehabilitation, but allocations have been reduced in recent years to allow counties a share.
Chirchir told the committee that the Ministry intends to use part of the levy under a securitization model to speed up completion of stalled road projects.
The CS, flanked by Roads Principal Secretary Joseph Mbugua, also proposed amendments to improve road signage by requiring that all public roads display their classification, code, and the responsible level of government. He said this would boost transparency in road management.
Another proposal—to redefine Secondary National Trunk Road C as “roads linking major designated towns and forming a continuous network with A and B roads”—drew criticism from lawmakers representing marginalized areas, who warned it could exclude vast regions without designated towns.
“Are we not Kenyans?” Wajir North MP Abdi Saney asked. “The Northern part of this country has been marginalised for so long. We should be taking steps to connect it, not shut it out.”
The committee is still collecting views from stakeholders and is expected to table its final report in the coming weeks.
