The government has defended its proposal to allocate 1.5% of the Road Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF) directly to the State Department of Roads — a plan that has sparked tough questions from Members of Parliament.

Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir appeared before the National Assembly Transport and Infrastructure Committee on Wednesday to explain the Ministry’s proposed changes to the Kenya Roads (Amendment) Bill, 2025. The Bill, sponsored by Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma, is currently under review by the committee chaired by Ndia MP George Kariuki.

CS Chirchir, together with Principal Secretary Joseph Mbugua, said the Ministry had analysed the Bill and suggested amendments to improve road management and accelerate project delivery across the country.

One of the key amendments proposed by the Ministry is that 1.5% of the RMLF be allocated to the State Department of Roads for monitoring, evaluation, and quality assurance of road projects.

“This would help us ensure national standards are followed during construction and maintenance,” said Chirchir.

However, several MPs opposed the idea, saying the Kenya Roads Board should remain the main body in charge of the fund, and that giving money directly to a state department could undermine accountability.

Mvita MP Zaheer Jhanda questioned whether the plan was legal and noted that no state department currently receives funds directly from the levy outside the National Treasury.

“All government departments receive funding through the Treasury. Why create a special allocation for this one?” he asked.

The committee also raised concerns over a proposed change to the definition of “Secondary National Trunk Roads” (Class C roads), which would focus only on roads connecting major designated towns. MPs from northern Kenya protested, saying it could exclude underserved areas that do not have “designated towns” but still need road investment.

Hon. Raso Dido Saney said such changes risk deepening historical marginalization of regions like northern Kenya.

“Are we not Kenyans? We don’t want to keep lamenting, but if you exclude our regions based on criteria like this, then development will never reach us,” he said.

CS Chirchir also supported a clause requiring all public roads to have signage indicating their classification, code, and which level of government is responsible for their maintenance. He said this would improve transparency and accountability in road management.

He acknowledged that allocations to agencies from the RMLF were reduced in recent years to accommodate county governments. He added that part of the levy may be used in a securitisation model to raise funds for the completion of stalled road projects.

After lengthy discussions, many committee members said the RMLF should remain focused strictly on road maintenance and development — not on administration or departmental operations.

The committee is still collecting views from other stakeholders and will compile its recommendations before tabling a report in the House.