The Kenya Roads Board (KRB) has disbursed Ksh3.68 billion to the 47 county governments for the maintenance of county roads in the 2024/2025 financial year.
According to a statement by the Board, each county has received allocations ranging from Ksh37 million to Ksh183 million, with Nairobi, Kitui, and Nakuru emerging among the top recipients.
Counties are required to submit detailed work plans to KRB regional offices by Tuesday, 12th August 2025.
However, the partial disbursement is overshadowed by a court-mandated allocation of a far larger sum — over Ksh10.5 billion by June 30th.
On June 5, Justice Lawrence Mugambi declared the exclusion of counties from the Road Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF) unconstitutional.
The court found that the National Assembly’s decision to withhold the funds violated the Constitution and nullified the earlier withdrawal of conditional grants. The KRB has now been ordered to release Ksh10,522,211,853 to county governments by June 30, 2025.
The ruling stems from a lawsuit challenging Parliament’s moves on September 28, 2023, and August 13, 2024, to deny counties access to the RMLF for the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 fiscal years. Lawmakers had relied on Section 6 of the Kenya Roads Board Act, 1999, to justify the decision — a position the court found incompatible with devolved governance.
Lawmakers had accused county chiefs of attempting to sidestep accountability mechanisms by moving to court to challenge the fund’s oversight.
Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah had warned that Parliament will not approve further allocations under the County Governments Additional Allocations Bill, 2025 unless governors withdraw their legal challenge.
The deadlock stalled progress on the bill, which was expected to facilitate supplementary financing for counties amid growing pressure to address deteriorating road infrastructure nationwide.
The Kenya Roads Board has yet to comment on the political standoff but urged counties to comply with reporting timelines to ensure project continuity.
