Martin Wambora with contractors in Embu County
Background (Role of the committee)
The Roads, Infrastructure and Energy Committee oversees activities related to transport, infrastructure development and energy in the 47 Counties so as to ensure better service delivery to the citizens of Kenya as per the principles of devolution enshrined in the Constitution of Kenya.
The committee offers technical support in terms of information, research, policy analysis, and resource development for County Governments across a range of policy issues targeting the development of transport, infrastructure and energy for increased accessibility to all parts of the Country.
Legal Framework
The primary source of legislation of the committee’s activities is the Constitution of Kenya 2010. The other key sources of legislation include: -
- The Energy Act, 2006
- The Kenya Roads Act, 2007
- The Road Maintenance Levy Fund Act, 1993
- Petroleum (Exploration and production) Act, 1984
- The National Energy Policy (sessional paper no.4 of 2004)
Approach to undertaking Committee’s business
The committee functions through;
- Continuous consultations with County Governments to keep Counties updated on the challenges and possible opportunities for them in the infrastructure and energy sectors
- Stakeholder engagements with County Governments, Development Partners and International companies that would wish to engage Counties in possible collaborative projects
- Intergovernmental forums between Counties and the National Government agencies to ensure synergy for service delivery Status Briefs (Current agendas/issued being addressed by the committee). The Committee has submitted its memoranda to Senate on the Kenya Roads Bill as well as the Petroleum (Exploration) Bill. Currently, the committee is representing County Governments in the preparation of the third medium term plans for the implementation of vision 2030 for the infrastructure and energy sectors.
Opportunities that the Committee Offers
The Committee provides a platform for linkages between both levels of governments thus ensuring continuous consultations on infrastructure and energy related matters. Additionally, the committee represents County government views in various stakeholder forums.
Impact/Breakthroughs/Key Achievements
The Committee in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy has developed a draft County Energy Planning Framework that seeks to guide energy use and highlight the energy resources available in each County. The framework is premised on the Energy Bill, 2015 and is yet to be adopted. This will be done as soon as the Bill is enacted.
It has also successfully challenged the transfer of County Roads to National Government authorities in court with road authorities such as Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) and Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) being mandated by the court to refrain from working on roads assigned to Counties.
Resources
The committee develops and maintains a variety of resources including: -
- Legislative policy formulation, research and development projects on how Counties can improve service delivery in the infrastructure and energy sectors.
- The committee also monitors and highlights best practices among Counties to encourage innovation