Kenya Urban Roads Authority
Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) is a government statutory body, established under the Kenya Roads Acts 2007, that develops, constructs, and maintains urban road infrastructure across all 47 Kenyan counties for the national and county governments.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersNairobi, Kenya
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Kenya Urban Roads Authority does
Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) is a statutory body established under the Kenya Roads Acts, 2007, operating under the supervision of the Ministry of Roads and Transport. Its statutory mandate covers the development, construction, rehabilitation, and maintenance of urban roads across all 47 counties of Kenya. The authority operates as the implementing agency for road infrastructure projects funded by national and county governments, the Kenya Roads Board (KRB), the Road Maintenance Levy Fund, and development partners. Headquartered at Barabara Plaza, Block D along Mazao Road near JKIA in Nairobi, KURA's reach is national with no foreign operations.
KURA's service portfolio is infrastructure-led rather than software-led. Core offerings span ongoing construction and upgrading projects totaling over 640.56 km across multiple counties, including flagship Nairobi works such as the Outering Road Improvement (Kshs 11.7B), Missing Link Roads (Kshs 5.5B), Waiyaki Way-Red Hill Link Road, Ngong Road/Naivasha Road Flyover, and various Low Volume Seal (LVS) roads. Supporting infrastructure products include bridges, flyovers, overpasses, and box culverts; non-motorized transport (NMT) facilities; an Urban Roads Status Data platform; six Traffic Safety Parks located in Nairobi, Embu, Kakamega, Nyeri, Kisii, and Kisumu for road safety education; and citizen-facing e-services such as the road cutting permit accessible via the eCitizen portal. Technology infrastructure under development includes an Intelligent Transport System (ITS) and Junction Improvement Project delivered in partnership with Samsung, and a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system planned for Outer Ring Road.
KURA does not generate commercial revenue. Its funding mechanics are government appropriations channeled through the national budget, the Kenya Roads Board, the Road Maintenance Levy Fund, and development partner financing. Project execution is delivered through public procurement — tender notices, the recently adopted e-Government Procurement (e-GP) system (June 2025), and direct partnerships with implementation contractors such as Infraconnect Fifteen Limited and Infraconnect Eighteen Limited under the Road Annuity Programme. Customer segments are effectively the Kenyan national government, 47 county administrations, and urban residents as ultimate beneficiaries, with related statutory agencies (KeNHA, KeRRA, NTSA) serving as coordination partners rather than customers.
Kenya Urban Roads Authority firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kenya Urban Roads Authority
- Legal name
- Kenya Urban Roads Authority
- Website
- https://kura.go.ke
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) is a government statutory body, established under the Kenya Roads Acts 2007, that develops, constructs, and maintains urban road infrastructure across all 47 Kenyan counties for the national and county governments.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kenya Urban Roads Authority industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Urban Road Infrastructure Management
- NAICS
- Regulation and Administration of Transportation Programs (926120), Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction (237310)
- SIC
- Transportation Services (4700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Road & Highway Authorities (Planning, Construction, Maintenance) (BPAIALAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Traffic Systems & Road Safety Infrastructure (Signals, ITS, Barriers, Signage, Markings) (IMAFAEAI), Local Transportation, Parking & Mobility Administration (BPAIACAM)
Keywords
Where Kenya Urban Roads Authority is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nairobi
- HQ country
- Kenya
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices2 records
Markets served
Kenya Urban Roads Authority business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Others
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Kenya Urban Roads Authority product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) is a statutory government body that develops, constructs, rehabilitates, and maintains urban road infrastructure across all 47 counties of Kenya. Its deliverables include urban road networks, major structures (bridges, flyovers, overpasses), low volume seal roads, non-motorized transport facilities, and Traffic Safety Parks for road safety education, with emerging intelligent transport system (ITS) and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) capabilities.
Product overview
Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) is a statutory government body responsible for urban roads in Kenya. The organization operates a portfolio of physical infrastructure and services rather than a software platform. Core offerings include urban road construction and maintenance across 47 counties, with major projects in Nairobi (Missing Link Roads, Outering Road, Waiyaki Way extensions). Supporting services include Traffic Safety Parks (6 facilities nationwide for road safety education), an e-service for road cutting permits via the government ecitizen portal, and emerging technology infrastructure including an Intelligent Transport System (ITS) in partnership with Samsung, and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) planning for Outer Ring Road. The project portfolio spans on-going construction (640+ km), completed projects, low volume seal roads, and major structures (bridges, flyovers, footbridges).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Urban Roads Construction and Maintenance
Companies that use Kenya Urban Roads Authority
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Kenya Urban Roads Authority technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Kenya Urban Roads Authority partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- SamsungcoreKURA signed contract with Samsung for establishment of Nairobi Intelligent Transport System (ITS) and Junction Improvement Project, Phase I. This represents a strategic technology partnership for implementing smart city traffic management solutions.
- Infraconnect Fifteen LimitedmajorContractor for Road Annuity Programme Lot 15 covering Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Muranga, Embu, Tharaka Nithi & Laikipia counties, implementing 45.1 km of road upgrades.
- Infraconnect Eighteen LimitedmajorContractor for Road Annuity Programme Lot 18 covering Kakamega, Vihiga, Bungoma & Busia counties, implementing 35 km of road upgrades.
- Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA)coreRelated government agency under the Kenya Roads Acts, 2007. Both are statutory bodies established under the same legislation for different road categories.
- Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA)coreRelated government agency under the Kenya Roads Acts, 2007. KeRRA manages rural roads while KURA handles urban roads.
- Kenya Roads Board (KRB)coreGoverning body that allocates road funds to various road agencies including KURA. Related link on KURA website.
- National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA)coreRelated government agency for transport regulation. Collaboration on traffic management and safety initiatives.
- Ministry of Roads and TransportcoreParent ministry overseeing KURA's operations and policy direction.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Kenya Urban Roads Authority competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS): Regional peer operating as a statutory Executive Agency under Tanzania's Ministry of Works, responsible for trunk and regional roads—comparable mandate, governance structure, and East African infrastructure development context, though TANROADS is larger in geographic scope.
- Ghana Highway Authority: Regional peer responsible for Ghana's trunk road network under the Ministry of Roads and Highways—comparable statutory mandate, West-African public-sector infrastructure delivery context, and donor-funded capital program.
- Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA): Regional peer established as a statutory body under Uganda's Uganda National Roads Authority Act, with mandate for national road network development. Comparable institutional design, donor-funded capital program, and East African urban/highway infrastructure context.
- Ethiopian Roads Administration (ERA): Regional peer responsible for federal road network administration in Ethiopia, with similar statutory mandate, large-scale multi-year capital program, and African public-sector infrastructure delivery context.
- Rwanda Transport Development Agency (RTDA): Regional peer under Rwanda's Ministry of Infrastructure with mandate for transport infrastructure development including roads. Comparable statutory agency structure, East African regional context, and emerging-economy infrastructure delivery mandate.
- Nigeria Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA): Regional peer under Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Works with mandate for federal road maintenance and rehabilitation. Comparable public-sector infrastructure delivery model in Sub-Saharan Africa, with similar scale of road network and budget-cycle dependencies.
Direct peers
- Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA): Direct peer established under the same Kenya Roads Acts, 2007, with statutory mandate over national trunk roads—operates under the same Ministry, follows the same e-GP procurement model, and manages a similar multi-billion Kshs capital portfolio alongside KURA.
- Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA): Sister agency established under the same Kenya Roads Acts, 2007, with complementary mandate over rural roads. Direct peer because it shares KURA's statutory structure, governance framework, Ministry oversight, and funding allocation mechanism via the Kenya Roads Board.
Broad incumbents
- South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL): Broad incumbent and larger peer in the African road-agency landscape—statutory agency managing South Africa's national road network with tolling operations and ITS deployment. Comparable mandate and regulatory structure, but significantly larger asset base and more mature technology program.
Others
- Kenya Roads Board (KRB): Governing/ecosystem partner that allocates road funds to KURA, KeNHA, and KeRRA—direct upstream counterparty in KURA's funding flow and a strategic counterpart in the Kenya Roads Acts framework.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Kenya Urban Roads Authority social profiles
Digital presenceKenya Urban Roads Authority financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kenya Urban Roads Authority leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Kenya Urban Roads Authority funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kenya Urban Roads Authority M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kenya Urban Roads Authority
What does Kenya Urban Roads Authority do?
Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) is a statutory government body that develops, constructs, rehabilitates, and maintains urban road infrastructure across all 47 counties of Kenya. Its deliverables include urban road networks, major structures (bridges, flyovers, overpasses), low volume seal roads, non-motorized transport facilities, and Traffic Safety Parks for road safety education, with emerging intelligent transport system (ITS) and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) capabilities.
Is Kenya Urban Roads Authority a public or private company?
Kenya Urban Roads Authority is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Kenya Urban Roads Authority founded?
Kenya Urban Roads Authority was founded in 2007. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Kenya Urban Roads Authority based?
Kenya Urban Roads Authority is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, in the Africa region.
Who are Kenya Urban Roads Authority's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS), Ghana Highway Authority, Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), Ethiopian Roads Administration (ERA), Rwanda Transport Development Agency (RTDA) and Nigeria Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA). Direct peers are Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) and Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA). South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) is listed as a broad incumbent. Kenya Roads Board (KRB) is listed as an others.
Does Kenya Urban Roads Authority have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kenya Urban Roads Authority.
What industry is Kenya Urban Roads Authority in?
Kenya Urban Roads Authority's product category is Urban Road Infrastructure Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIALAA, Road & Highway Authorities (Planning, Construction, Maintenance), with a secondary code of IMAFAEAI, Traffic Systems & Road Safety Infrastructure (Signals, ITS, Barriers, Signage, Markings). Its NAICS code is 926120 and its SIC code is 4700.