This vlei rat is recorded in the highlands of Mount Elgon, which straddles Kenya and Uganda. Its species account describes use of alpine grassland and a diet of grasses and flowers.
It has a robust body, a large blunt head, a short tail, and shaggy fur.
The species treatment places it in alpine grassland at 3,300–4,200 m and reports a diet of grasses and flowers.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.