diff --git a/zebra/if_netlink.c b/zebra/if_netlink.c
index 44249d7dd1..c09007bcb1 100644
--- a/zebra/if_netlink.c
+++ b/zebra/if_netlink.c
@@ -1482,15 +1482,7 @@ void interface_list(struct zebra_ns *zns)
 	 * so we need to get the nexthop info
 	 * from the kernel before we can do that
 	 */
-
-	if (netlink_nexthop_read(zns)) {
-		/* If the nexthop read fails, assume the kernel
-		 * cannot handle nexthop objects.
-		 */
-		zlog_debug("Nexthop objects disabled on this kernel");
-		zns->supports_nh = false;
-	} else
-		zns->supports_nh = true;
+	netlink_nexthop_read(zns);
 
 	interface_addr_lookup_netlink(zns);
 }
diff --git a/zebra/rt_netlink.c b/zebra/rt_netlink.c
index 6e791b1336..840354a8bc 100644
--- a/zebra/rt_netlink.c
+++ b/zebra/rt_netlink.c
@@ -74,6 +74,8 @@
 
 static vlanid_t filter_vlan = 0;
 
+static bool supports_nh = false;
+
 struct gw_family_t {
 	uint16_t filler;
 	uint16_t family;
@@ -1644,7 +1646,7 @@ static int netlink_route_multipath(int cmd, struct zebra_dplane_ctx *ctx)
 			  RTA_PAYLOAD(rta));
 	}
 
-	if (dplane_ctx_get_nhe_id(ctx)) {
+	if (supports_nh) {
 		/* Kernel supports nexthop objects */
 		addattr32(&req.n, sizeof(req), RTA_NH_ID,
 			  dplane_ctx_get_nhe_id(ctx));
@@ -1938,6 +1940,10 @@ static int netlink_nexthop(int cmd, struct zebra_dplane_ctx *ctx)
 		char buf[NL_PKT_BUF_SIZE];
 	} req;
 
+	/* Nothing to do if the kernel doesn't support nexthop objects */
+	if (!supports_nh)
+		return 0;
+
 	memset(&req, 0, sizeof(req));
 
 	req.n.nlmsg_len = NLMSG_LENGTH(sizeof(struct nhmsg));
@@ -2424,6 +2430,15 @@ int netlink_nexthop_read(struct zebra_ns *zns)
 		return ret;
 	ret = netlink_parse_info(netlink_nexthop_change, &zns->netlink_cmd,
 				 &dp_info, 0, 1);
+
+	if (!ret)
+		/* If we succesfully read in nexthop objects,
+		 * this kernel must support them.
+		 */
+		supports_nh = true;
+	else if (IS_ZEBRA_DEBUG_KERNEL)
+		zlog_debug("Nexthop objects not supported on this kernel");
+
 	return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/zebra/zebra_dplane.c b/zebra/zebra_dplane.c
index e2c7bd7635..04aca1ac7e 100644
--- a/zebra/zebra_dplane.c
+++ b/zebra/zebra_dplane.c
@@ -1526,7 +1526,7 @@ static int dplane_ctx_route_init(struct zebra_dplane_ctx *ctx,
 	dplane_ctx_ns_init(ctx, zns, (op == DPLANE_OP_ROUTE_UPDATE));
 
 #ifdef HAVE_NETLINK
-	if (re->nhe_id && zns->supports_nh) {
+	if (re->nhe_id) {
 		struct nhg_hash_entry *nhe =
 			zebra_nhg_resolve(zebra_nhg_lookup_id(re->nhe_id));
 
@@ -1594,11 +1594,6 @@ static int dplane_ctx_nexthop_init(struct zebra_dplane_ctx *ctx,
 
 	zns = ((struct zebra_vrf *)vrf_info_lookup(nhe->vrf_id))->zns;
 
-	if (!zns->supports_nh) {
-		ret = EOPNOTSUPP;
-		goto done;
-	}
-
 	/*
 	 * TODO: Might not need to mark this as an update, since
 	 * it probably won't require two messages
@@ -1896,12 +1891,8 @@ done:
 	if (ret == AOK)
 		result = ZEBRA_DPLANE_REQUEST_QUEUED;
 	else {
-		if (ret == EOPNOTSUPP)
-			result = ZEBRA_DPLANE_REQUEST_SUCCESS;
-		else
-			atomic_fetch_add_explicit(
-				&zdplane_info.dg_nexthop_errors, 1,
-				memory_order_relaxed);
+		atomic_fetch_add_explicit(&zdplane_info.dg_nexthop_errors, 1,
+					  memory_order_relaxed);
 		if (ctx)
 			dplane_ctx_free(&ctx);
 	}
@@ -2078,6 +2069,8 @@ enum zebra_dplane_result dplane_nexthop_add(struct nhg_hash_entry *nhe)
 
 /*
  * Enqueue a nexthop update for the dataplane.
+ *
+ * Might not need this func since zebra's nexthop objects should be immutable?
  */
 enum zebra_dplane_result dplane_nexthop_update(struct nhg_hash_entry *nhe)
 {
diff --git a/zebra/zebra_nhg.c b/zebra/zebra_nhg.c
index 2027f98f6f..9e54753bf0 100644
--- a/zebra/zebra_nhg.c
+++ b/zebra/zebra_nhg.c
@@ -553,6 +553,29 @@ static enum nhg_ctx_op_e nhg_ctx_get_op(const struct nhg_ctx *ctx)
 	return ctx->op;
 }
 
+static struct nhg_ctx *nhg_ctx_init(uint32_t id, struct nexthop *nh,
+				    struct nh_grp *grp, vrf_id_t vrf_id,
+				    afi_t afi, int type, uint8_t count)
+{
+	struct nhg_ctx *ctx = NULL;
+
+	ctx = nhg_ctx_new();
+
+	ctx->id = id;
+	ctx->vrf_id = vrf_id;
+	ctx->afi = afi;
+	ctx->type = type;
+	ctx->count = count;
+
+	if (count)
+		/* Copy over the array */
+		memcpy(&ctx->u.grp, grp, count * sizeof(struct nh_grp));
+	else if (nh)
+		ctx->u.nh = *nh;
+
+	return ctx;
+}
+
 static bool zebra_nhg_contains_dup(struct nhg_hash_entry *nhe)
 {
 	struct nhg_connected *rb_node_dep = NULL;
@@ -717,7 +740,7 @@ static int nhg_ctx_process_del(struct nhg_ctx *ctx)
 			EC_ZEBRA_BAD_NHG_MESSAGE,
 			"Kernel delete message received for nexthop group ID (%u) that we do not have in our ID table",
 			ctx->id);
-		return 0;
+		return -1;
 	}
 
 	zebra_nhg_handle_kernel_state_change(nhe, true);
@@ -786,20 +809,7 @@ int zebra_nhg_kernel_find(uint32_t id, struct nexthop *nh, struct nh_grp *grp,
 		 */
 		id_counter = id;
 
-	ctx = nhg_ctx_new();
-
-	ctx->id = id;
-	ctx->vrf_id = vrf_id;
-	ctx->afi = afi;
-	ctx->type = type;
-	ctx->count = count;
-
-	if (count)
-		/* Copy over the array */
-		memcpy(&ctx->u.grp, grp, count * sizeof(struct nh_grp));
-	else
-		ctx->u.nh = *nh;
-
+	ctx = nhg_ctx_init(id, nh, grp, vrf_id, afi, type, count);
 	nhg_ctx_set_op(ctx, NHG_CTX_OP_NEW);
 
 	/* Under statup conditions, we need to handle them immediately
@@ -822,9 +832,7 @@ int zebra_nhg_kernel_del(uint32_t id)
 {
 	struct nhg_ctx *ctx = NULL;
 
-	ctx = nhg_ctx_new();
-
-	ctx->id = id;
+	ctx = nhg_ctx_init(id, NULL, NULL, 0, 0, 0, 0);
 
 	nhg_ctx_set_op(ctx, NHG_CTX_OP_DEL);
 
diff --git a/zebra/zebra_ns.h b/zebra/zebra_ns.h
index 11aa1b74c9..dc79a83db0 100644
--- a/zebra/zebra_ns.h
+++ b/zebra/zebra_ns.h
@@ -54,7 +54,6 @@ struct zebra_ns {
 	struct nlsock netlink_cmd;    /* command channel */
 	struct nlsock netlink_dplane; /* dataplane channel */
 	struct thread *t_netlink;
-	bool supports_nh; /* Does kernel support nexthop objects? */
 #endif
 
 	struct route_table *if_table;