How to Check If Kenya Land Is in a Road Reserve or Railway Reserve
A road reserve is a strip of land on either side of a road that is reserved for the road and its future expansion. A railway reserve is the equivalent for railway lines.
Both road and railway reserves are government land. No private development is permitted within them. A parcel that is partially within a road or railway reserve cannot be fully developed — the portion within the reserve must remain clear.
How Road Reserves Are Created
Road reserves are established through gazette notices published by the Ministry of Transport or relevant government agency. The gazette specifies the road and the reserve width.
Standard road reserve widths in Kenya:
National trunk roads: 60 metres (30 metres on each side from the centreline). Primary roads: 30 metres. Secondary roads: 20 metres. Urban streets: 15-30 metres.
New road construction can trigger new or wider reserves. Planned roads that have been gazetted but not yet built still carry reserve obligations.
How to Check for Road Reserve Status
Step 1: Kenya Roads Board / Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) / Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA).
Different road types are managed by different agencies. For a specific parcel:
Contact KeNHA (national trunk roads). Contact KeRRA (rural roads). Contact the county department of roads (urban and county roads).
Ask whether the specific parcel or the adjacent road has any reservation or impending widening that would affect the land.
Step 2: Check the survey plan.
The survey plan for the parcel may show an adjacent road reserve. If the plan shows your land bordered by a road with a specified reserve width, check whether any portion of the parcel falls within that reserve.
Step 3: Gazette search.
Road reserve declarations are published in the Kenya Gazette. A Litmus gazette search covers relevant publications.
Step 4: Physical inspection.
A field verifier observing the parcel can note whether:
Any road-widening markers or surveyors' stakes are present. The existing road has visible reserve markers. Any road expansion construction is underway adjacent to the parcel.
Railway Reserves
The SGR and Kenya Railway's standard gauge and metre gauge lines have significant railway reserves. The SGR corridor in particular has substantial reservation zones.
Kenya Railways / KeNHA: Contact for railway reserve information.
Gazette search: Railway reserve gazettings are published.
For any land near a railway (particularly near the SGR corridor), confirming the railway reserve status is important. Some parcels marketed in the SGR corridor area have significant portions within the railway reserve.
What to Do If Part of the Parcel Is in a Reserve
Confirm the precise extent. Commission a registered surveyor to confirm exactly how much of the parcel falls within the reserve.
Negotiate the price accordingly. Land with a road or railway reserve through it is worth less than the full parcel area would suggest. The reserve portion has no development value.
Do not build within the reserve. Structures built within a road or railway reserve can be demolished by the relevant authority. There is no compensation for illegal structures within reserves.
A Litmus full field verification includes gazette search and physical observation of any infrastructure adjacent to the parcel. Road and railway reserve indicators are noted in the field report.
Full field verification: KSh 25,500.
This article is for general information only. It does not constitute legal advice. Consult a qualified Kenya advocate and a registered surveyor for road reserve confirmation.
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