Kenya is a country with a well structured and organized transport system. For the vehicles to run smoothly the government is taking efforts to improve the roads and national highways of Kenya. The national highways run long distances connecting important points and cities of Kenya. Most of the national highways are present in the eastern, north eastern, coastal and rift valley regions of the country.
National highways of Kenya cover around 63000 km and is essential for avoiding traffic congestions in the internal areas of the cities. Out of the total area of the highways, 8, 863 km is paved and the rest is still unpaved thus creating traveling hazards for the drivers of the vehicles that use the highways.
Presently the condition of the highways have been improved. There are petrol stations on most national highways. Restaurants, bars and lodges are also present along the highways for the convenience of the travelers and drivers.
The national highways of Kenya are good connectors, but they are very unsafe. After dark it is dangerous to take the highways as robberies are regular coinsurances. To check thefts and robberies on these national highways the commissioner of police of Kenya set up the Highway Patrol Unit under the traffic department in 2005. Their role is to prevent highway robbery and to enforce traffic rules along the main highways all over the country.
The most important and significant national highway is the A104 which runs from Mombasa to Malaba via Nairobi. It is a truck route constructed to divert heavy traffic from the internal roads of the main cities of Kenya and thus reduce traffic jams within the cities.
The national highways of Kenya serve several purposes and with a decline in the highway crimes and a development of the construct they will be viable routes of transportation.
