Tanzania has pushed back against President William Ruto’s claim that Kenya has more tarmacked roads than all other East African Community (EAC) countries combined, sparking a regional debate over infrastructure statistics.
Speaking at a church service at Karen Africa Gospel Church in Nairobi on April 19, President Ruto said Kenya, which he described as a middle‑income country, should not be compared with its neighbors, whom he classified as least‑developed countries.
According to the President, Kenya currently maintains about 20,000 kilometers of tarmacked roads, with an additional 6,000 kilometers under construction. He argued that Kenya’s existing tarmac network alone exceeds the combined total of several EAC member states.
“We currently maintain over 20,000 kilometers of tarmac roads across the country and have another 6,000 kilometers under construction,” Ruto said. “The 20,000 kilometers we maintain here in Kenya is the same for the other six or seven East African countries. Kenya has more tarmac than all the other countries in the EAC combined.”
Ruto said that even when the tarmacked roads in Uganda, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, and South Sudan are added together, they still fall short of Kenya’s network.
He cited this as an explanation for the high cost of road maintenance borne by the Kenyan government.
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Tanzania Rejects Claims on East Africa’s Tarmacked Roads
However, Tanzania’s Minister for Works, Abdallah Hamis Ulega, rejected the President’s remarks, describing them as misleading and unfair to Tanzania’s development record.
The minister said Tanzania is also a lower‑middle‑income country and noted that within East Africa, only Tanzania and Kenya fall into that category.
He stated that Tanzania has constructed about 16,000 kilometers of tarmacked roads, spanning both urban and rural areas.
Ulega added that Kenya’s other neighbors, excluding Tanzania, together have about 6,100 kilometers of tarmacked roads.
When combined with Tanzania’s network, he said, the total exceeds 22,000 kilometers, contradicting the claim that the rest of East Africa cannot match Kenya’s figures.
“For that reason, the claim that the rest of East Africa combined cannot reach 20,000 kilometers of tarmac is not true,” the minister said.
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Ruto Unveils Major Infrastructure Plan for Nairobi
In the same address, President Ruto also announced an ambitious plan to overhaul infrastructure in Nairobi City County, marking a renewed push to modernize the capital following consultations with the Nairobi County Assembly.
The President said that engagements with county leaders had resulted in agreement on priority areas to improve infrastructure and service delivery.
He noted that the planned changes are intended to reshape Nairobi’s urban environment and reinforce the city’s position as Kenya’s main gateway.
“There are many developments taking place in Nairobi following discussions with the County Assembly, where we agreed on plans to rework the city,” Ruto said.
He outlined several upcoming projects, with a strong focus on road upgrades and expansion.
Among them is the dualling of a major road, which he said has already been fully designed and is set to be advertised for construction soon.
Ruto added that the government is keen to enhance Nairobi’s image, noting that the state of the capital strongly influences perceptions of the country.
The President further revealed that about 250 kilometers of roads across the city have been earmarked for upgrading.
Of these, 67 kilometers are already under construction, while work on an additional 70 kilometers is expected to begin soon, signaling a significant expansion of Nairobi’s road network.
