Members of Parliament have voiced anger over a Cabinet plan to reduce road maintenance allocations for constituencies, saying the decision will paralyse key projects and undermine ongoing infrastructure works.
The proposed reduction will see each of the 290 constituencies lose Sh10 million from the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) allocation, cutting the amount from Sh63 million to Sh53 million.
The government has asked the National Assembly to approve a proposal to securitise an additional Sh5 per litre from the Roads Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF), which is expected to generate Sh120 billion in two years.
According to Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir, the money will be used to settle debts owed to road contractors and revive stalled construction projects across the country.
While addressing the National Assembly’s Transport and Infrastructure Committee, Chirchir said more than 800 road projects remain incomplete due to delayed payments.
He noted that by December 31, 2024, the government had outstanding contract obligations amounting to Sh700 billion and pending bills worth Sh172 billion. He added that a bridge financing arrangement had already yielded Sh104 billion, enabling the payment of 80 per cent of the pending bills to contractors.
Lawmakers, however, opposed the plan, describing it as a blow to rural development. Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri said his constituency had suffered extensive damage to its roads following prolonged rains and that cutting funds would worsen the situation. “What we expected was an increase, not a reduction,” he said.
His sentiments were shared by other MPs who demanded that the Cabinet Secretary appear before the House to explain the rationale behind the reduction.
Ndia MP George Kariuki said he supports the securitisation plan in principle but insisted that Chirchir must personally clarify its impact on local road maintenance. “The CS must explain why this reduction is necessary,” he said as MPs raised concerns about fairness in resource allocation.
The committee is expected to table a report on the proposal before the National Assembly, with several MPs already calling for its rejection unless the government guarantees that constituency road projects will not suffer further delays.
