Objective: to describe the topography and anatomical variations of the carotid arteries among Kenyans. Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study. Setting: department of human Anatomy, university of nairobi. Subjects: eighty carotid arteries of forty cadavers were dissected. Results: the bifurcation of the commonest carotid artery was high (above the reference points) in 63.8% of vessels and the external carotid was antero-lateral to the internal carotid artery in 30% of the vessels. A linguo-facial trunk was the most common variation of the external carotid artery. the origin of the right common carotid artery was high and low in 10% and 2.6% of vessels respectively. Conclusion: the carotid arteries show important variability and thus emphasise caution for clinicians during surgical procedures in the neck.