Moses Kuria Calls for the Disbandment of KeRRA and KURA
Senior Advisor to the Presidential Council of Economic Advisors, Mr. Moses Kuria, has proposed a significant restructuring of Kenya’s road management framework.
In his recommendations, he has called for the disbandment of the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) and the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), agencies currently responsible for managing funds from the Roads Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF).
Mr. Kuria’s proposal comes amid an intensifying national debate over the allocation and management of the RMLF, which is primarily financed through levies imposed on fuel products.
At the centre of this debate is a growing disagreement between the national and county governments. The national government has argued that centralized control of these funds is necessary to enhance efficiency and accelerate the implementation of critical infrastructure projects.
In contrast, county leaders, including former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, have expressed concerns that such centralization undermines devolution and erodes the autonomy of county governments.
Speaking recently in Narok County during Easter Sunday celebrations, President William Ruto made a direct appeal to county governors to relinquish control over the RMLF. He asserted that by allowing the national government to manage these funds, his administration would be able to deliver more extensive and better-coordinated road construction projects across the country.
“I would request these honorable members… if you leave me with that road money you are battling for, I can plan for more funds to construct all these roads,” President Ruto said while addressing congregants at Ntulele in Narok County.
In his own remarks, Mr. Kuria offered a nuanced view that partly supports President Ruto’s position. He endorsed the idea that the National Government should assume full responsibility for the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), with 100 per cent of the Roads Development Budget allocated to it.
According to Kuria, this would ensure that the development and maintenance of national highways are handled with the consistency and scale required.
However, Mr. Kuria emphasized that roads falling under county jurisdiction should remain firmly under county management. To that end, he proposed the creation of County Roads Authorities in each devolved unit. These authorities, he suggested, should be independent operational bodies mandated to manage road projects at the county level.
“The Kenya Roads Board should allocate funds from the Roads Maintenance Levy Fund to County Roads Authorities, following the same proportion as determined by the Revenue Sharing Formula set by the Commission on Revenue Allocation,” Mr. Kuria proposed.
Furthermore, Mr. Kuria advised that county assemblies should be responsible for budgeting and approving allocations for county roads.
Once appropriated, these funds should be administered by the newly established County Roads Authorities, operating independently but under the technical oversight of the Kenya Roads Board to ensure accountability and standards compliance.
To address potential funding shortfalls, Mr. Kuria encouraged counties to adopt innovative financing mechanisms such as securing loans or issuing bonds. He noted that counties could leverage the predictable income from the RMLF, along with their own locally generated revenues, to attract private investors.
This strategy, he argued, would enable counties to mobilize additional resources necessary for the development and maintenance of their road networks, without relying entirely on national government transfers.
Meanwhile, opposition leader Raila Odinga, speaking during a funeral ceremony in Siaya County, voiced strong opposition to the national government’s proposal. Mr. Odinga criticized the move to centralize the management of the RMLF, arguing that it represented a direct assault on the principles of devolution, which are enshrined in the Constitution of Kenya, 2010.
“It doesn’t make sense that somebody sitting in Nairobi is constructing roads in Mombasa town. That’s why it’s so inefficient,” Mr. Odinga stated. He maintained that devolved governance was designed to bring services closer to the people and that local authorities are best positioned to understand and address the unique infrastructural needs of their communities.
The ongoing debate underscores the critical tension between centralization and devolution in Kenya’s governance structure.
As discussions continue, it remains to be seen whether a compromise will be reached that balances the need for efficient infrastructure development with the constitutional imperative to uphold devolution and local autonomy.
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Moses Kuria Calls for the Disbandment of KeRRA and KURA
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