Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Sheriff Nassir has accused the national government of sitting on critical road funds as county infrastructure crumbles under neglect.
Mr Nassir said it was unfair for officials in Nairobi, unfamiliar with local needs, to control billions meant for repairing county roads.
President Ruto has urged county bosses to abandon their push to control the fund, insisting that the national government should continue disbursing the money directly.
The President’s position pits him against opposition leader Raila Odinga, who has maintained that road funds are a devolved function and should be handled by the county governments.
"Why should the national government stay with the money? How is it that a person who doesn’t even know Mombasa region decides on spending?" he asked during an address in Mombasa. "It is not fair that millions remain in Nairobi while our people suffer.”
Governors, he said, are blamed for dilapidated roads, yet the national agencies tasked with road maintenance, including the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) and Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), operate remotely.
"Nobody knows the Director General of KeNHA or KURA. I get blamed," he said.
Mr Nassir revealed that his administration had written to the national government, offering to repair the roads themselves if national agencies could not deliver.
"It is we who have the shoe and know where it pitches," he said, adding it was unjust for millions of shillings to remain locked up in Nairobi while county residents suffer.
The standoff comes at a time when residents in Mombasa continue to endure deteriorating infrastructure, with roads becoming impassable whenever it rains.
