Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o on Tuesday, April 22, launched a scathing attack aimed at President William Ruto as he accused the Head of State of 'sabotaging devolution'.
In a hard-hitting letter, the governor referenced the ongoing dispute between county government and the national government over the management of the Roads Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF), which the president insists should be moved to the national government's control.
Nyong'o, in his statement, dismissed President Ruto's justification for the continued operation of national roads agencies like the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) and the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KERA), saying they undermine the spirit of devolution.
"The Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) and the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KERA) need not exist if the national government is prepared to fully implement devolution,” Nyong’o said.
On Sunday, the president hinted at taking up the issue of road maintenance, insisting that leaving it to the national government would end the overlapping responsibilities and ensure effective management of resources.
While speaking at an Easter Sunday service at Ntulele, Narok County, President Ruto assured that he would guarantee infrastrucure development and long-term results if the funds are allocated to the national government.
However, in his rejoinder, governor Nyong'o accused Ruto of attempting a blatant power grab, accusing the Head of State of resorting back to Kenya's dark political era.
“The truth is that the Ruto regime has decided to go back to pre-devolution times of the Nyayo era,” the governor asserted. “The 2010 Constitution is a hindrance to its primitive accumulation schemes.”
The governor also aimed a thinly-veiled dig at the government by citing the troubled management of the Kenyatta National Hospital, which he used as an example to highlight the national government's inefficiencies.
Members of Parliament and the Council of Governors (CoG) have had a long-standing feud over the control of the RMLF, with tensions escalating in March after governors refused to withdraw a court case against MPs regarding the management of the fund.
Governors have consistently argued that they are equally entitled to the RMLF, insisting they are equally involved directly in road construction. They also argue that the fund originates from a shared fuel levy.
Dig deeper: Amid the tussle over who should manage road maintenance funds, the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Roads, Infrastructure and Energy, remains the key influencer in how the billions in road funding are allocated and monitored each financial year.
While public focus often rests on agencies like KeRRA, KURA, or county governors, this committee is the one that influences how billions in road funding are allocated and monitored each financial year.
One of the committee's key functions is the review of proposals related to roads, including submissions from bodies including Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA, Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) and Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA).
Notably, any money released from the Road Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF) is subject to a recommendation from the committee, which acts as a watchdog on how funds are spent while also investigating cases of delays and mismanagement in road projects.
Since the committee approves the framework and road budgets that determine who gets what, it remains at the heart of the debate over whether counties should control a greater share of road funds or whether the national government should be given central control for “efficiency,” as President Ruto argues.
