The Economic Survey 2026 has revealed significant disparities in rural road infrastructure across Kenya, with Mandera County recording zero kilometres of paved rural roads out of its 721.4 km network.

Kenya’s total Class C rural road network expanded from 18,321 km in 2024 to 28,150 km in 2025, mainly due to the mapping of previously unrecorded roads. However, only 18.3% of this network is tarmacked, as paved roads increased marginally from 4,854 km to 5,163 km.

Counties with the Shortest Paved Rural Roads

  • Mandera: 0 km paved out of 721.4 km (0%)
  • Turkana: 0.7 km paved out of 1,019.4 km (0.07%)
  • Marsabit: 4.5 km paved out of 1,083.9 km (0.4%)
  • Wajir: 4.5 km paved out of 1,178.6 km (0.4%)
  • Kajiado: 2.1 km paved out of 762.8 km (0.3%)
  • Lamu: 10.9 km paved out of 201.4 km (5.4%)
  • Tana River: 13.9 km paved out of 471 km (3%)
  • Garissa: 16.2 km paved out of 1,119 km (1.4%)
  • Taita Taveta: 18.2 km paved out of 663.5 km (2.7%)
  • Kwale: 139.2 km paved out of 809.8 km (17.2%)

The survey highlights that northern and eastern counties continue to lag in paved road coverage, with some counties recording less than 1% tarmacked roads. This infrastructure gap poses challenges for connectivity and economic development in these regions.

Road Inventory and Condition Surveys Impact

The increase in total rural roads is largely attributed to the 2025 Road Inventory and Condition Surveys (RICS), which mapped many previously undocumented routes. For example, Marsabit’s unpaved roads increased by over 130%, while Garissa’s rose by nearly 90%, reflecting expanded mapping rather than new road construction.

Counties with Longest Paved Rural Roads

At the opposite end, Murang’a County leads with 389.6 km of paved Class C rural roads, followed closely by Kiambu with 387.6 km and Nakuru with 376.4 km, underscoring the uneven distribution of road infrastructure across the country.

The government allocated KSh 168.7 billion for road expenditure in the 2025/26 financial year, including KSh 97.7 billion for development and KSh 71 billion for maintenance, aiming to improve connectivity nationwide.