The road starts in the city of Nairobi and takes a general north-westerly direction through Naivasha, Nakuru, Eldoret and Bungoma, to end at Malaba, a distance of approximately 447 kilometres (278 mi)[1] The coordinates of this road in the city of Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County are: 0°30'23.0"N, 35°17'57.0"E (Latitude:0.506389; Longitude:35.299167).

[3] Due to a high volume of traffic, and the concentration of heavy-duty transport vehicles, the route is accident-prone, accounting for a large number of injuries and fatalities in the region.

In 2013 alone, 3,179 people lost their lives in traffic accidents on the combined Mombasa–Malaba Road.

[4] This road has the following major intersections, listed from east towards the west.

[5] The following towns, listed from east towards west, are located along the highway:[5]