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Road Rules Foundation · Topic 3 of 6 · ~1 min read
Driving on the left & road positioning
Kenya drives on the left. That isn't a historical footnote to memorise — it's the single rule every other rule in this lesson is built on. Your default lane is the left one: you move right only to overtake, and you return left once it's safe. Everything about positioning — within your lane, for turns, when choosing lanes, when meeting oncoming traffic on a narrow road — flows from that one fact, and this lesson builds it into something automatic.
In this lesson you'll learn
- Why Kenya drives on the left, and what that means practically for every decision on the road
- The anatomy of a road: carriageway, lane, and shoulder — and what each part is actually for
- Where to position your car within your lane, and when to deviate from the default
- The full step-by-step procedure for changing lanes safely
- Why lane discipline — not just "which side of the road" — is what actually prevents head-on collisions
- 1. The Anatomy of a RoadDistinguish road, carriageway, lane and shoulder — and state what each part is for.
- 2. Positioning Within Your LaneApply the default centre-of-lane position and the three situations that justify deviating from it.
- 3. Positioning for TurnsPosition correctly for a left turn versus a right turn — including how the rule changes on a one-way road.
- 4. Choosing and Changing LanesChoose the correct lane on a multi-lane road and execute the full lane-change procedure.
- 5. Meeting Oncoming Traffic on a Narrow RoadApply the give-way principles when two vehicles meet where there isn't room to pass.