The East African root rat occurs in patches of fertile soil in the northeastern African highlands. It excavates extensive underground burrows and makes nests from plant material and fecal matter.
Its coat is brownish gray, and its eyes and ears are small.
It is usually solitary and lives in extensive underground burrows, where it makes nests from plant and fecal material. It has also been observed foraging above ground and carrying plant matter back into its burrow.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.