Kenya’s road development story is taking shape differently across the country’s 47 counties, with new data revealing a striking gap in the length of paved Class C roads linking communities, farms, markets and major transport corridors
.
Figures contained in the 2025 Road Inventory and Condition Surveys, as highlighted in the Economic Survey 2026, show that some counties have made significant progress in expanding their paved networks, while others continue to grapple with thousands of kilometres of unpaved roads.
At the national level, Kenya’s Class C rural road network jumped dramatically from 18,321 kilometres in 2024 to 28,150 kilometres in 2025. The increase does not necessarily mean that more than 9,000 kilometres of new roads were built. Rather, authorities expanded the road mapping exercise, bringing thousands of previously unrecorded roads into the official inventory.
Of the 28,150-kilometre network recorded in 2025, 5,163 kilometres were paved, up from 4,854 kilometres in 2024. A much larger 22,987 kilometres remained unpaved, highlighting the enormous road infrastructure challenge facing the country.
Murang’a takes the lead
Murang’a County emerged as the leader, recording the longest paved Class C road network at 389.6 kilometres.
The county’s entire Class C network measured 552.1 kilometres, meaning approximately 70.6 per cent was paved. This represented a notable improvement from 333.6 kilometres of paved roads recorded in 2024.
Kiambu followed closely with 387.6 kilometres of paved Class C roads. Its total network stood at 709.1 kilometres, translating to a paved coverage of 54.7 per cent.
Nakuru ranked third with 376.4 kilometres of paved roads. However, its huge Class C network of 953.1 kilometres meant that 576.7 kilometres remained unpaved, leaving its paved coverage at 39.5 per cent.
Nyeri came fourth with 275 kilometres of paved Class C roads. Out of its 524.1-kilometre network, 249.1 kilometres were unpaved, giving the county a paved coverage of 52.5 per cent.
Uasin Gishu occupied fifth position with 266.2 kilometres of paved roads out of a total Class C network of 562.6 kilometres. About 47.3 per cent of its network was paved.
Counties with substantial paved networks
Migori ranked sixth with 241 kilometres of paved Class C roads. Its total network measured 577 kilometres, with 336 kilometres still unpaved.
Baringo recorded 185.1 kilometres of paved Class C roads, while Machakos had 163.4 kilometres.
Kirinyaga recorded 157.3 kilometres of paved roads, while Narok had 157.5 kilometres.
However, the figures reveal an important distinction: a county can have a long paved network without having the highest percentage of paved roads.
Narok provides a striking example. Despite recording 157.5 kilometres of paved Class C roads, the county had an enormous total network of 1,192 kilometres, including 1,034.5 kilometres of unpaved roads. Consequently, only 13.2 per cent of its Class C network was paved.
Machakos faced a similar situation, with 163.4 kilometres paved against 651.4 kilometres unpaved.
Huge unpaved networks remain
The expanded inventory also exposed the scale of the challenge in counties with vast rural territories.
Marsabit’s unpaved Class C network increased by 130.9 per cent to 1,079.4 kilometres, while Garissa’s rose by 89.6 per cent to 1,102.8 kilometres.
In Turkana, the unpaved Class C network increased by 71.4 per cent to 1,018.7 kilometres.
These figures underscore the difficulty of providing road infrastructure across counties where settlements are widely dispersed and road networks cover enormous geographical areas.
The government had projected KSh168.7 billion in road expenditure for the 2025/26 financial year. Of this, KSh97.7 billion was earmarked for development, while KSh71 billion was allocated to road maintenance and repairs.
The 2026 data therefore paints a mixed picture of Kenya’s rural road infrastructure. While counties such as Murang’a and Kiambu boast relatively extensive paved networks, others still have vast stretches waiting for tarmac.
For millions of Kenyans, the difference is more than a statistic. A paved road can determine how quickly farmers reach markets, how easily children access schools, how patients get to hospitals and how businesses move goods.
The figures show that Kenya has made progress, but they also reveal just how much roadwork remains before reliable all-weather connectivity becomes a reality across the country.
