The Elwak–Mandera Road, is a rural road in Kenya. The road links
Elwak, to the town of
Mandera
Mandera (a) is the capital of Mandera County in the former North Eastern Province of Kenya. It is situated at around , near the borders with Somalia and Ethiopia.
Districts
Mandera was the capital of the former Mandera District.
As a whole ...
, in the country's extreme northeast, near the tri-point where the borders of
Kenya
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
,
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
and
Somalia
Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...
meet.
Location
The road starts at
Elwak,
Mandera County
Mandera County is a county in northeastern Kenya, bordering Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the east, and Wajir County to the south. It is predominantly home to the Somali community, with a population of about 983,000 (2024)nullified, makin ...
, at the border with the town of
El Wak, Somalia
El Wak () is a border city on the Somalia-Kenya border. 9 km away from El Wak, Kenya and 4 km from Somalia -Kenya border.The Somali portion is located in the southwestern Gedo region of Jubaland state, where it is the seat of one of the region's s ...
. It travels in a general northerly direction through a village called ''Warankara'', continuing north to the town of
Rhamu
Rhamu (), known to the locals as "shantooley", is a town in the Mandera County of Kenya situated in the northeastern part of Kenya, along the River Dawa. The town lies within a semi-arid region characterized by dry and hot conditions, with limi ...
, at the border with Ethiopia, a distance of approximately . At Rhamu, the road turns east for another to end at
Mandera
Mandera (a) is the capital of Mandera County in the former North Eastern Province of Kenya. It is situated at around , near the borders with Somalia and Ethiopia.
Districts
Mandera was the capital of the former Mandera District.
As a whole ...
, the headquarters of
Mandera County
Mandera County is a county in northeastern Kenya, bordering Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the east, and Wajir County to the south. It is predominantly home to the Somali community, with a population of about 983,000 (2024)nullified, makin ...
, 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 British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital status in 1907. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...
and
Nairobi
Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...
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, 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
The Government of the Republic of Kenya (GoK) is the Central government, national government of the Kenya, Republic of Kenya located in East Africa. It is composed of Counties of Kenya, 47 Counties, each county with its own semi-autonomous gove ...
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
The following is a list of the national roads in Kenya, under the jurisdiction of the Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA). KenHa classifies International Trunk Roads as Class ‘A’ and National Trunk Roads as Class ‘B’. The list is not ...
References
External links
The Road to El Wak, Mandera
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elwak-Mandera Road
Roads in Kenya
Mandera County