Governors demand more control of roads

By ROSELYNE OBALA

Kenya: Governors have faulted the drafted Roads Bill, 2014 and called on the Ministry of Roads to re-work on the legislation to conform to the new system of governance.

The county bosses have differed with the Government’s proposed methodology of classification, which defines Class A, B and C as national trunk roads while Class C, D and others as county government roads.

The governors have also demanded that fuel levy and development fund for developing Class C and D should be surrendered to counties as well as the Mechanical Transport equipment.

“The proposed law negates the whole process. It seeks to reverse gains of devolution in the roads sector by denying counties their allocated functions,” said Council of Governors Chairman Isaac Ruto.

He continued: “We do not concur with the ministry’s proposals. The objective of this new law is to come up with a legal framework that clearly specifies national trunk roads and county roads.”

Mr Ruto further raised concern that the drafted law empowers the Roads Cabinet Secretary to identify and determine national and county roads.

“The CS might wake up one morning and decide which roads should be national. It gives the CS a free hand to change the regulations at will,” he said.

Ruto, who is also the Bomet governor, stressed that ordinarily any road that starts at one county and ends in the middle of another is a county road.

“Class C is a county road. I therefore, want the ministry to re-do the Bill to avoid any misunderstandings. The Government cannot upgrade this class to a national road,” he stressed.

Though ministry and county government officials are scheduled to hold a consultative meeting on May 2, the governors were yesterday engaged in deliberating the Bills at a Nairobi hotel.

Governors Ken Lusaka (Bungoma), Josphat Nanok (Turkana), Jack Ranguma (Kisumu), Jackson Mandago (Uasin Gishu) and Peter Munya (Meru) were in agreement with Ruto.