Kenya
Travel restrictions
International flights resumed on August 1st 2020 under Ministry of Health and Transport guidelines.
Please be advised that effective January 1st, 2021, all passengers are required to apply and obtain an e-visa before boarding an aircraft. The e-visa can be obtained through http://evisa.go.ke/evisa.html
Eligible unvaccinated travelers over 5 years old must have a negative COVID-19 PCR test 72 hours before departure. They will also be required to take a rapid antigen test at their own cost on arrival. Any person who tests positive will have a PCR test administered at their own cost and self-isolate.
Travelers who are fully vaccinated are exempted from the PCR test requirement for entry.
There will be no paper verification of COVID-19 test results and vaccination certificates upon arrival into Kenya.
Travelers should upload both documents into Global Haven before boarding their flight via globalhaven.org to generate QR codes.
Incoming travelers are required to have a QR code for a completed Travelers’ Health Surveillance Form that they can access from the following website: https://ears.health.go.ke/airline_registration/
When they register on the website, the code is sent to their email.
The Kenya Ministry of Health launched the Trusted Travel (TT) Initiative: https://africacdc.org/trusted-travel/
At this time, the QR code is for arriving passengers and the TT code is for those departing. Travelers can get the TT code with their test results from an accredited lab at any major hospital.
Measures taken by the government
Domestic air travel resumed on July 15th, 2020 under Ministry of Health and Transport guidelines.
On October 20th 2021, the Government of Kenya announced the end to Kenya’s nationwide curfew, even as other COVID-19 mitigation measures remain in effect.
Wearing masks in outdoor public spaces is optional, however, one is required to wear a mask with other people in closed/confined spaces such as personal service vehicles, aircraft, offices (government/private), supermarkets, markets, and places of worship.
All in-person indoor meetings can continue at full capacity as long as participants are fully vaccinated. All attendees are required to wear face masks at the venue.
Testing
Turnaround times vary outside of major metropolitan cities, and it will be important to confirm the turnaround time with each lab.
Testing is available at the country’s major hospitals (Aga Khan Hospital, Nairobi Hospital, Kenyatta National Hospital) and private laboratories (Lancet laboratories, Meditest diagnostics). The charge for the test is approximately USD 100 (KES 10,000) at private health facilities and USD 50 (KES 5,000) at government hospitals.
Test results are typically available within 24 – 96 hours depending on laboratory and location.
Results are usually obtained by physical copy or email.
All travelers departing Kenya en route to countries requiring rapid antigen testing hours before travel will be required to undertake a pre-travel rapid antigen test at the MOH Port Health facility at the airport and the results uploaded to the Trusted Traveler platform.
At JKIA, travelers do not need to make appointments, and payment is made via M-PESA.
The test itself takes 15 minutes, though travelers should budget ample time as there may be a long queue.
Emergency number (related to COVID-19) while visiting the country
Report any suspected cases to the Kenya Ministry of Health hotline numbers: 0800721316, 0732353535, 0729471414
Source:
US Embassy in Kenya https://ke.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/
Published on July 19th 2022 (checked on August 3rd 2022)
For more information please visit our COVID-19 Updates page at https://www.hiddentrails.com/article/covid19update.aspx