Counties across Kenya have received Sh3.7 billion from the Road Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF), following a successful legal battle over their exclusion from the fund in the national budget.
The Kenya Roads Board, through a public notice on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, confirmed the disbursement, which represents 35 per cent of the total Sh10.52 billion owed to county governments for road maintenance in the 2024–25 and 2025–26 financial years.
Nakuru County received the highest allocation at Sh183.4 million. Other notable allocations include Nairobi (Sh120 million), Kiambu (Sh199 million), Kitui (Sh152.4 million), Makueni (Sh146.8 million), Machakos (Sh111 million), Nyeri (Sh100 million), Kajiado (Sh106 million), Uasin Gishu (Sh86 million), Kisumu (Sh68.3 million), and Mombasa (Sh45.6 million). The rest of the counties received allocations below Sh100 million.
Council of Governors (CoG) chairperson Mutula Kilonzo Jnr confirmed the funds had been released and emphasized that the fight for the remaining 65 per cent is ongoing.
“They released 35 per cent on June 30, but we are fighting for the entire amount to be disbursed,” he said.
The partial disbursement follows a court ruling that declared the National Assembly’s removal of counties from the RMLF in the two financial years unconstitutional.
The court observed that excluding counties from the fund undermined their mandate to maintain county roads while national road agencies continued to receive their allocations.
The dispute began in August 2024, when the National Assembly passed a Bill eliminating the county share of the RMLF.
This sparked outrage from governors and the Senate, prompting a petition by the CoG and several MPs.
Although Parliament appealed the ruling, it did not obtain orders to delay its implementation.
Sources revealed that the National Assembly later approached counties, seeking their consent to retain 65 per cent of the fund — a proposal governors rejected.
The Senate has since backed the counties, ensuring the full amount is preserved in the 2025 County Governments Additional Allocations Bill, which is currently under debate.
The Bill seeks to formalize the transfer of both conditional and unconditional funds from the national government and development partners to county governments.
“The principal object of the Bill is to provide for the transfer of both unconditional and conditional additional allocations from the national government’s share of revenue and from development partners to county governments for the financial year 2024-25,” the Bill states.
The High Court also ordered Parliament, the Treasury, and the Kenya Roads Board to revise relevant laws — including the Kenya Roads Act and the Kenya Roads Board Act — within 12 months to align with the Constitution and ensure counties are included in future allocations.
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