EDITORIAL: Debate on road toll fees should be sober
Wednesday, June 24, 2020 0:01
By EDITORIAL
Roads are no doubt critical to the economy.
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.
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.
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.
