Murkomen Calls for an Increase in Road Maintenance Levy by Ksh5
Murkomen Calls for an Increase in Road Maintenance Levy by Ksh5
To account for the rising cost of building materials, Kipchumba Murkomen, the cabinet secretary for transportation, is proposing a Ksh5 increase in the road maintenance tax.
In a media appearance,Murkomen continued, “This will help to keep the country’s murram roads in good condition.”
According to the CS, funding restrictions prevented any plan for maintaining the more than 5,000 roads that had been built. Additionally, he rejected the National Dialogue Committee’s (NADCO) recommendation that the charge be reduced by Ksh5, arguing that it was not practical.
The levy, commonly referred to as the Road Maintenance Levy Fund, is collected at the pump and is currently set at Ksh18 per litre of petrol and diesel.
If Murkomen’s proposal is adopted, it means that motorists would pay Ksh23 per litre of fuel at the pump, leading to an increase in fuel prices.
“There are 5,000 Kilometres of roads constructed and not maintained. These are orphaned roads as you’ll find they are full of potholes since they are not maintained,” he stated.
In elucidating the concerning condition of the nation’s roads, Murkomen revealed that the government owes contractors more than Ksh700 billion, of which Ksh400 billion is owing to Chinese contractors. As a result, there were years-long unfinished road improvements.
He went on to explain that in order for the contractors to finish the projects, the Kenya Kwanza administration was dedicated to paying off the debt.
“A lot of the contractors cry when they come to my office. Some banks are being admitted to hospitals, or they are selling their homes. People are in pain. Then, in order to allow the banks more time to finish the payment, we have to bargain with them,” he said.
“We will not commence on any new project unless that project is from a development partner such as the World Bank, or African Development Bank.”
“I’ve told President William Ruto and my colleagues at the Cabinet, in fact, I am likely to be an unpopular CS if the people don’t appreciate that the resources are not there for us to build the roads.”
