The Five Classes, and Who Manages Them

Class A — International Trunk Roads

What they are: Kenya's most important highways. They connect Kenya to international boundaries, link centres of international importance, and typically terminate at international ports. Several form part of the Trans-African Highway network.

Managed by: Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA)

Real examples:

• A109 — Mombasa Road, linking the Port of Mombasa to Nairobi and onward toward Uganda. Kenya's single most economically important road.
• A104 — Nairobi–Malaba, the route toward Uganda via the Northern Corridor.
• The Northern Corridor overall: Malaba–Eldoret–Nakuru–Nairobi–Voi–Mombasa.

What to expect driving here: dual carriageways in places, higher speed limits (up to 110 km/h for cars on highway sections), heavy long-distance freight traffic — and, importantly, some sections are controlled-access and legally restrict who can use them at all. That exception gets its own sub-topic later in this lesson.

Class B — National Trunk Roads

What they are: roads linking nationally important centres, principal towns, or urban centres — including county headquarters — to each other and to Class A roads.

Managed by: KeNHA

Real examples:

• B1 — Busia through Kisumu, Ahero, Kisii, ending at Isebania, linking major towns across Western Kenya.
• B6 — Embu through Meru toward Isiolo.
• The Nyayo Roundabout–JKIA road is a notable Class B road within Nairobi itself.

Class C — Primary Roads

What they are: roads linking provincially important centres to each other, or connecting those centres to a higher-class (A or B) road.

Managed by: KeNHA

Real examples:

• C63 — Ruiru to Kiambu via Tatu City.
• C77 — Murang'a town to Sagana town.
• C99 — Machakos town to Kangundo.

Class D — Secondary Roads

What they are: roads linking locally important centres to more important ones, or connecting to a higher-class road. This is where the network starts to feel noticeably more local.

Managed by: Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA)

Real example: the road linking Mwiki to Kasarani.

Class E — Minor Roads

What they are: roads linking a minor centre, market, or local area to the wider network. Overwhelmingly rural.

Managed by: KeRRA

What to expect: this is where the driving experience changes the most. Surface quality drops — murram or gravel is common, not tarmac — lane markings are often absent, and you'll meet a far wider mix of non-motorised and animal-related traffic than you ever will on a Class A highway. The next sub-topic makes that legal reality explicit.

Special Purpose Roads

Roads serving a specific function outside the main A–E hierarchy: forest roads; roads serving schools, hospitals and government institutions; roads serving coffee-, tea-, wheat- and sugar-growing areas; roads leading to national parks; and unclassified rural roads leading to mineral deposits. Each gets its own code by function — L-roads for settlement schemes, W-roads for wheat-growing areas.

Who manages what — the quick version