The East African Arvicanthis is a day-active rodent of East African savannas with grass and woody cover. Its grizzled reddish-brown back contrasts with a paler underside.
The back is coarsely grizzled chestnut, while the underside is buff. It has small hairy ears and a short, bristly tail with two color bands.
It is active by day on the ground and lives in colonies. It mainly eats plant material and seeds, with small arthropods also reported.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.