The Elwak–Mandera Road, is a rural road in Kenya. The road links
Elwak, to the town of
Mandera, in the country's extreme northeast, near the tri-point where the borders of
Kenya
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Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
and
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
meet.
Location
The road starts at
Elwak,
Mandera County
Mandera County is the northeasternmost county in Kenya. Its capital and largest town is Mandera. The county is bordered by Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the east and Wajir County to the southwest. According to the 2019 census, the county ha ...
, at the border with the town of
El Wak, Somalia. It travels in a general northerly direction through a village called ''Warankara'', continuing north to the town of
Rhamu
Rhamu ( so, Raamo Raaxa) is a town in the Mandera County of Kenya and is the second largest town of the district. It sits across the Dawa River from the town of Sathe in Ethiopia. It is largely populated by the Garre Somali clan co-existing with ...
, at the border with Ethiopia, a distance of approximately . At Rhamu, the road turns east for another to end at
Mandera, the headquarters of
Mandera County
Mandera County is the northeasternmost county in Kenya. Its capital and largest town is Mandera. The county is bordered by Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the east and Wajir County to the southwest. According to the 2019 census, the county ha ...
, for a total distance of .
Overview
This road is an important transport corridor for traffic from
Mombasa
Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of the British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...
and
Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...
destined for Mandera. It also facilitates trade between Kenya and her neighbors to the north and northeast; Ethiopia and Somalia respectively. Travel along this road, although safer compared to a shorter route through
Lafey
Lafey is a town and sub-county in the Mandera County of Kenya. It sits in the northeast part of the country, at the international border with Somalia.
Location
The town is approximately , north-east of Elwak, the nearest large town. This is ap ...
, is longer in distance and bumpier, due to the rough condition of the road.
Updating to bitumen surface
In March 2016, the
government of Kenya publicly committed to upgrading this gravel-surfaced road to class II bitumen surface with culverts, drainage channels and shoulders, before the end of 2018.
See also
*
List of roads in Kenya
References
External links
The Road to El Wak, Mandera
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elwak-Mandera Road
Roads in Kenya
Geography of Kenya
Transport in Kenya
Mandera County