Return of plant residues to the soil is a sustainable way of enhancing plant growth, health, and levels of soil quality. In Kenya, maize plant residues are the most commonly returned plant material in many agro-ecosystems. For any plant material to release nutrients into the soil, it must undergo a decomposition process that is usually affected by various organisms, especially nematodes. Despite their great contribution to the breakdown of plant organic matter, there is a dearth of information on the interaction between maize residues and free-living nematodes (FLN) in Kenya. In this respect, this study aimed to assess the influence of decomposing maize residues on FLN dynamics and the soil food web in Mwea, Kenya. The experimental plots were set up in a randomized complete block design, comprising of decomposition plots (incorporated with maize residue to a depth of 30 cm at a rate of 5 tons/hectare), while the plots unincorporated with maize residues were used as the control. Each treatment consisted of four replicates. In all, 30 FLN genera were recovered from the field trials, whereby