Kenya

1.0 Introduction

Kenya lies in East Africa and is bordered by Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania and the Indian Ocean.
Kenya is one of the most industrialized countries in East Africa, yet industry represents only 10% of its GDP. Agriculture employs 80% of the population and accounts for 50% of all exports and 25% of the GDP. The Kenyan economy remains dependant on agriculture and periodic drought often threatens GDP growth. Traditionally tourism, tea and coffee have been the largest foreign exchange earners, but horticultural products and industrial exports such as refined petroleum are also becoming important. 

2.0 Country Snapshot

3.0 Transport and Development in Context

Expansion of transport infrastructure is one of the key pillars of the Vision 2030, the long term development strategy for transforming Kenya into a medium income economy by 2030. Currently plans are underway to implement a 50 year transport master-plan.  This will be aimed at ensuring that investment and location of transport infrastructure and services are consistent with other public policies. Also, it will ensure optimal transport infrastructure investment to position Kenya as the most efficient and effective transport hub of the East and Central African region and promote national aspirations for socio-economic reconstruction and development.  Under the curer

Social concerns are being integrated into the transport sector policies. Among these include Road Safety. Vision 2030 underscores the need to fast-track implementation of the National Road Safety Action Plan to achieve the targets of reducingthe incidence of road crashes and its impact on the Kenyan Economy.  HiV/AIDS is another concern that has been taken on board.  HIV/AIDS interventions have been mainstreamed in the transport sector to enhance response and mitigate the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic along trucking stops on the northern corridor.

4.0 Overview of the Transport Sector

Road transport is the main transport subsector, carrying about 80% of the passenger of & reight transport in the country.other subsectors are; air, waterways and rail.

5.0 Road Classification System

Class A:  International Trunk Roads: Roads crossing international boundaries
Class B:  National Trunk Roads: Roads connecting provincial headquarters to each other or to class A roads
Class C:  Primary roads: Roads linking district headquarters to each other or to higher class roads.
Class D: Secondary Roads: Roads linking locally important centers to each other or to higher class roads
Class E:  Minor Roads:  linking minor centers
Class F: Special purpose Roads: Roads including those for tourist, township, agriculture and strategic purposes.

6.0 Institutional framework for the sector

Ministry of Transport: Has the responsibility of developing, reviewing and overseeing implementation of policies in the transport sector.

Ministry of roads: Responsible for policy formulation, regulation and development and enforcement of technical standards in the Road Subsector.

Key agencies under the Ministry:

1. Kenyan Roads Board as the manager of the Road Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF)
2. Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA); the implementing agency to manage and maintain all road works on class A, B, C roads;
3. Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) e responsible for all rural and small town roads, class D and below including special purpose roads and unclassified roads.
4. Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) charged with managing and maintaining all roads in forty-four towns including Nairobi City and municipalities.

7.0 Relevant Rural Transport Programmes

Roads 2000: a rehabilitation and maintenance strategy based on a network approach to planning and the use labour-based methods of work. The key objectives of the Roads 2000 strategy are cost effective maintenance of the classified road network of the country to an economic level of serviceability using local resources and labour-based methods wherever these are cost effective.

Kenya Rural Roads Authority: Established under an act of parliament in 2007. Charged with the mandate to manage, develop, rehabilitate and maintain rural roads in Kenya.

8.0 Some Key Documents and Websites

Government of Kenya [2004]: Recommendations on Integrated National Transport Policy: http://www.krb.go.ke/downloads/White%20Paper%20Main%20Document-Vol.%20I.pdf

Government of Kenya: Ministry of Transport: Recommendations on Integrated National Transport Policy : SUB-SECTOR POLICY PAPERS AND IMPLEMENTATION MATRICES VOLUME II
http://www.krb.go.ke/downloads/White%20Paper%20Sector%20Papers_Vol.%20II.pdf
http://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ke.html
http://www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/kenya/kenya-economy.html
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/intkenya/resources/donorstatement-roads.pdf
http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org.web/guest/country/home/tags/kenya
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/kenya
http://www.transport.go.ke

Kenya NFG Page
East/Southern Africa Region