The Roads Fund Administration (RFA) says it has collected K73.3 billion from the Road maintenance levy and K1.77 billion from toll-gates between April and June this year, reflecting improved revenue for the fund.
The improved collections come after a prolonged period of reduced inflows that constrained the fund’s ability to finance road maintenance and rehabilitation.
Speaking during a media briefing at Chingeni Tollgate in Ntcheu on Friday, RFA finance manager James Dzonzi said toll revenue rose by 56 percent from K1.13 billion recorded during the same period last year despite a 22 percent drop in traffic.
| Esnart Tembo
“The increase in toll fees introduced in January explains why we collected K1.8 billion in the first quarter and K1.77 billion in the second quarter, even though fewer vehicles passed through the toll gates,” he said.
The RFA collected K3.5 billion in toll fees between January and June this year, matching the amount raised over nine months from April to December 2025. Toll collections reached K4.2 billion between April 2024 and March 2025.
Since toll gates were introduced in November 2021, they have generated K20.4 billion in gross revenue.
However, Dzonzi said toll income alone remains insufficient to meet the cost of maintaining the toll infrastructure and financing road projects, with the fuel levy continuing to provide the bulk of RFA’s revenue.
“Our biggest source of income is the fuel levy, but it is still not enough. It now costs about K1.5 billion to rehabilitate one kilometre of road and K2.5 billion to construct one kilometre of a new road,” he said.
Dzonzi also said the RFA borrowed K200 billion from FDH Bank and National Bank of Malawi to finance road projects and construct toll gates, with repayments expected to come from fuel levy and toll revenues.
He said Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority continues to settle outstanding Road maintenance levy arrears after failing to remit the funds for nearly three years.
According to Dzonzi, the RFA has so far disbursed K67 billion to the Roads Authority (RA) for road maintenance and rehabilitation.
He also reiterated plans to construct four new toll gates over the next three years at Chileka on the Mchinji Road, Gwayi at Nkhamenya, Naluva on the Salima Road and Nkhamanga near Mponela in Dowa.
“We want Malawians to have confidence that the money collected is being invested in improving the country’s road network,” Dzonzi said.
RA chief maintenance engineer Derrick Manda said the funds are supporting major rehabilitation works, including three projects along the Blantyre-Lilongwe M1 section worth K113.33 billion.
The works cover the Lizulu-Ntcheu Boma section, a 23-kilometre rehabilitation and resealing project from Lizulu towards Lilongwe and the Chingeni-Kameza Roundabout section in Blantyre.
The projects are expected to be completed within 360 days from June this year.
Manda said the rehabilitation programme is aimed at improving road conditions and transport efficiency, while appealing to the public to protect road infrastructure from vandalism.
“The money collected through the fuel levy and toll gates is being invested in rehabilitating roads across the country. We appeal to road users to protect this infrastructure because it is a national investment that benefits every Malawian,” he said.
