The Kenya National Highways Authority has clarified what Road Maintenance Levy Fund is used for amid opposition to the planned introduction of toll stations on some major highways.
KeNHA said on Tuesday it’s mulling introducing a Road Tolling Policy after adequate public participation, the end result being charging cess on major roads such as Thika Superhighway, Mombasa Southern Bypass and the Dongo Kundu Bypass.
“The Authority assures the public that this Policy will be developed with extensive public participation to ensure that all voices are heard," KeNHA said in a post on its official X account.
"KeNHA remains committed to transparency and inclusivity throughout this process and will continue to engage with the public at every stage," the authority added.
The news attracted backlash from a cross-section of Kenyans including Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna who questioned the rationale of tolling roads built using taxpayers’ money.
"I don't know how KeNHA Kenya justifies the proposal to start tolling roads built by taxpayer money years ago. Build new toll roads mchukue pesa (collect money) but you can’t start charging us for using Thika Road bwana!" he said on X.
On Wednesday, KeNHA acknowledged that questions have equally been raised on what the Road Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF) is used for.
The Authority said it is a beneficiary of the fund administered by the Kenya Roads Board (KRB) and uses the monies to specifically maintain and improve road infrastructure across the country.
“It ensures that our roads remain safe and reliable for all users. Collected primarily from fuel levies, the fund is used for routine maintenance, repairs and rehabilitation of roads under various Authorities. This means that KeNHA cannot use these funds to construct a new road,” KeNHA said in a statement on X.
In March this year, former Roads and Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen said the government was planning to introduce a piece of legislation that would see Kenyans pay to use certain highways set to be constructed by the government.
Murkomen said the government was struggling with a huge infrastructural project financing gap running into billions of shillings and as such, the introduction of toll stations would bridge the gap.
“I will be coming back here with a tolling Bill to be presented in Parliament for approval. We will want Parliament to pass legislation to enable the major roads to generate money to enable us to expand the roads,” the former Elgeyo Marakwet senator said while answering questions from senators on March 20.
He had revealed the previous month that the road projects earmarked to pioneer the tolling include Athi River-Namanga Road and Galleria-Rongai-Ngong-Karen Shopping Centre.
He said the introduction of the toll charges on the planned new major highways would help generate money to fund new road infrastructure projects.
KeNHA said should the proposed Road Tolling Policy sail through and tolling be introduced, the collected fees will be used to maintain and rehabilitate the specific road that they are collected from.
“This could free RMLF to fund new road projects as the tolled roads may not be candidates for the RMLF fund,” the authority said.
“KeNHA remains committed to work within the approved policies set by the Kenya Roads Board to ensure that the funds are used efficiently and transparently to improve the safety and quality of highways for all Kenyans,” it added.