The National Assembly has passed the Kenya Roads (Amendment) Bill, 2025. The Bill seeks to amend the Kenya Roads Act to classify public roads into two categories national trunk roads and county roads in line with the devolved system of governance.

The Bill also makes amendments to the Kenya Roads Board Act to ensure equitable allocation of funds to both national and county governments for the maintenance, rehabilitation, and development of roads.

The six-clause Bill provides a comprehensive framework for enhancing efficiency in road management across all levels of government.

Clause 3 of the Bill amends section 47 of the Kenya Roads Act to provide for the classification of roads into national trunk roads and county roads as set out in the First Schedule. It further mandates the Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport to review the classification and assignment of roads at least once every five years, ensuring that the country’s road network keeps pace with infrastructural developments and emerging needs.

A new section, 47A, introduced under Clause 4, outlines the responsibilities of county governments with respect to roads within their jurisdictions. It requires county governments to adhere to national standards and policies in the roads sector, with county executive committee members responsible for the maintenance, rehabilitation, and development of county roads.

To strengthen devolution, the Bill amends the Kenya Roads Board Act to allocate a share of road maintenance funds to county governments for the first time. Clause 6 of the Bill proposes to allocate 5 percent of the Roads Maintenance Levy Fund directly to county governments.

Under the proposed allocation structure, the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) will receive 36 percent, the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) 21 percent for constituency roads and 10 percent for link roads between constituencies, the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) 14 percent, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) 1 percent, and the Kenya Roads Board (KRB) 1.5 percent. The State Department for Roads and the Ministry will receive 1.5 percent and 10 percent respectively.

𝑨𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒚                                          𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝑨𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

Constituency roads by KeRRA                           21%

Link roads by KeRRA                                         10%

KeNHA                                                                36%

Kenya Urban Roads Authority                             14%

Kenya Wildlife Service                                          1%

Kenya Roads Board                                            1.5%

State Department for Roads                               1.5%

County Governments                                            5%

Ministry                                                                 10%

Each county government will be required to designate a department or division responsible for road works, open a special purpose account at the Central Bank of Kenya, and submit annual road programmes to the Kenya Roads Board. These programmes, approved by the county executive committees, will ensure transparency and accountability in the use of funds.

The Kenya Roads Board will monitor and evaluate all works financed by the Fund and is empowered to take remedial or supplementary measures to ensure compliance with set standards.