President William Ruto’s recent call to governors and MPs to “stop fighting over the roads levy money and give me the money to put to prudent use” has ignited a heated political and constitutional debate.

The remarks, made on Easter Sunday in Narok, have been widely interpreted—particularly by governors—as a direct affront to the devolved system of governance.

At the heart of the controversy is a prolonged tussle between county governments and the National Assembly over control of the multi-billion-shilling Roads Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF).