Raila, Ruto Headed for a Big Clash Over Management of Road Maintenance Levy
President William Ruto and his partner in the broad-based government, Raila Odinga, are reading from different scripts over the control of the road maintenance levy, signalling a huge clash between the two leaders ahead.
Speaking in Narok county on Sunday, President Ruto called on Members of Parliament (MPs) and governors to allow the national government to manage the fund, saying this would lead to better utilisation of the funds.
“Mimi ningeomba hawa wahesimiwa wakiwa hapa; najua kuna mvutano ya pesa kati ya counties na wabunge ile pesa ya barabara, na hiyo pesa ya barabara mnayo pigania mukiniwachia, naweza kupanga pesa nyingi ya kutengeneza hizi barabara zote,” Ruto said at Ntulele during an Easter church service.
The Head of State, in his appeal, believes that unlike the counties and the national assembly, the national government will more efficiently plan and allocate the resources.
“Kwa sababu hizo pesa mnachukua na mnaenda kutengeneza barabara ya maram kidogo inanyesha inaisha yote. Nawaomba waheshimiwa mkubali na siyo kwa lazima nasema naomba mkubali tunaweza kupanga hiyo pesa ikaweza kutumika kwa njia nzuri ambayo itawafaidi Wakenya zaidi ya vile inatumika kwa sasa,” he added.
Ruto’s statement contradicts Raila Odinga’s stance during the funeral of his bodyguard George Oduor in Siaya County on 12th April, where he vowed to make the control of NGCDF Funds and the Fuel Levy an election issue if MPs decline to leave the funds to the county governments.
Odinga insisted that the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) and the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) should be domiciled under the devolved units, saying the current framework is leading to inefficiencies.
“It doesn’t make sense that somebody is sitting in Nairobi is constructing roads in Mombasa town. Somebody sit in Nairobi and is constructing roads in Kisumu, which cannot be touched by the governors and government. That’s why it’s so inefficient,” he said.
”On Fuel levy MPs have no business constructing roads,the role of the MPs is clearly stated.Representation , legislation and oversight. How do you oversight when you yourself are actually implementing?” he posed.
However, while supporting the President, National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichungwa today refuted Raila Odinga’s allegations that MPs manage road funds, explaining that the money is allocated to the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KERRA) and the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), which oversee road construction and maintenance.
He emphasised the need for better collaboration between national and county governments to ensure that road projects are well-funded and properly executed for the benefit of all Kenyans.
