Editorials

EDITORIAL: Debate on road toll fees should be sober

road

Roads are no doubt critical to the economy. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Proposals to charge motorists for use of certain roads are finally up for debate as Parliament discusses the Finance Bill 2020.

Both the Treasury and the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning have made divergent in-put on the omnibus Bill that seeks to introduce toll chargers on some transport corridors such as the Nairobi-Nakuru, Nairobi-Mombasa highways and some bypasses as soon as next month.

A key contention is how the toll fees would be managed with the Treasury preferring the creation of a special independent kitty that would be known as National Roads Toll Fund and incorporate the private sector in its collections.

The House committee has, however, rejected the recommendation by the Treasury and instead proposed that the Kenya Roads Board (KRB) retains the mandate of collecting and managing the toll fees.

Clearly there is need for deep consultation and sober debate on the matter so that we have in place a transparent and sustainable system.

The model of building key infrastructure such as roads using toll charges is a good one, especially for countries whose tax collection is underperforming and are therefore unable to fund key programmes such as road maintenance and expansion.

Roads are no doubt critical to the economy due to their direct effect on the cost of doing businesses and the general competiveness of the economy.

We must, however, find a best-fit mechanism to manage the tolling system with minimal hitches related to bureaucracies, graft or mismanagement.

Both Parliament and the Treasury should ensure maximum disclosure on the toll system so that users get value for money. Aspects such as user fees and subsequent disbursement and use of collections should be fully disclosed to win public confidence on the pay-for-use scheme.

And even as the country embraces the toll roads concept, it is only fair that users are provided with alternatives because not all can afford user charges. The non-toll roads should also be kept in good shape to guarantee mobility without undue compulsion to use the pay-for-use corridors.