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Hi

Kenya requires below.

1/ yellow fever

Recimended : covid -19 vaccine. But not a must.

Require PCR taken whithin 96 hours

Ravi

Definitely yellow fever vaccine is compolsary.  And just as a precaution get the thyphoid vaccine as well. . The covid vaccine, well our numbers are very low, so for us it's definitely not a must have. We're more affraid of getting malaria. But if we want to go visit our family in SA if it's required then we'll get it.. and so far i know it's not required to get the vaccine for covid before entering kenya.

If you are travelling from, Europe or N. America for example, there are no mandatory vaccinations for entering Kenya.

Hello, Diksha,

I lived in Kenya this last year and can share my experience. First, let me address COVID-19. The big question for American ²ÝÁñÉçÇøs right now is whether they will be given the vaccine from the embassy for free or not and they are awaiting news from the embassy. Once that is answered, I will happily post the answer. That said, while travel is somewhat open, it is best to leave the US with the COVID vaccine already administered. While healthcare is available, you do not want to have to use it. If there is an emergency, the ONLY hospital to trust is Agha Khan. Others, you go in for one thing and come out with something else, this is the general consensus. Be careful. And, White means foreigner and foreigner means money; expect to pay a lot more for your service. And to be clear: white is not color, it is status. Even if you have different shades of skin tone, you can be called White.

Other vaccines. The following vaccines are recommended for Kenya: hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, cholera, yellow fever, rabies, meningitis, polio, measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis), chickenpox, shingles, pneumonia and influenza. The only one that is mandatory/compulsory is Yellow Fever and that only if you travel through countries with yellow fever. You will be forced to get it in that country, in the airport, if you cannot prove it was received prior to arrival, before you catch your next flight or leave the airport. Again, foreigner pricing.

Having lived in country for about 6 months total, I strongly encourage the following: Hep A and B, yellow fever and Tdap.

A suggestion for getting your vaccines: fly through the UK and get them at one of the clinics in London. You save a LOT of money. In the US, you can spend hundreds of dollars, over a thousand, on vaccines; in the UK, less than $60 for the whole lot (a bunch of vaccines) and that's VAT(tax) included. Be sure to call ahead and make an appointment. As a vial of vaccine must be opened, usually about 10 doses per vial, they may have you wait. I have had zero issues the multiple times I have done this. COVID-19 vaccine is in the UK, obviously, but not sure if offered to pass-through foreigners due to the time between doses. Moderna, it is 28 days between doses; Pfizer is 21 days between doses. For both the maximum time between doses is 6 weeks and the longer you wait, the less effective the vaccine. Further, while you may have minor to no symptoms on the first dose, plan a few days down following the second dose. And I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you rub in the vaccine, do pushups, punch the spot a few times, at the spot of injection immediately or you will have a VERY sore arm. My uncle could not lift his arm after the second dose, took about 2 weeks for it to stop hurting him. I used that old military trick and only was sore for that day and a little the next.

Second note of warning. Pay attention to Africa News. You will find out more here than from the WHO on health issues ongoing. The WHO, World Health Organization, will keep things under wraps until they have no choice to say anything. I experienced this when Ebola hit the area. Third note: especially if you are living in the country, register for STEP, the smart traveler program. That will be your best source of information of things that affect you abroad, as an American. Final note of warning: if the embassy states all Americans need to leave, if you do not leave, be prepared to stay without support. Be sure to have food stockpiled: rice, clean water, flour, whimbe/ferina, salt, sugar, corn/maize etc. Have at least a year supply, especially with COVID and above all, GROW A GARDEN. If you can live outside the city, you have a better chance of getting fresh food from markets and neighbors than in the city during the pandemic. If you don't cook, learn. And, remember: you are not just making sure you are okay; you are also responsible for your staff AND their families. Have good locks on your store room.

During the pandemic, a lot of people lost homes and had no supply of food in the cities. Homeowners still had to pay mortgage on homes and tenants got away with not paying. Keep that in mind.

All that shared, the positives. The expat community in Kenya is PHENOMENAL. They get together, have parties, help each other, have meetings, keep everyone informed and just, overall, watch out for one another. For those who care, groups are largely Democratic party members. For those who don't, eh, forget about it.

Best regards,
Blueoceantraveler

Blueoceantraveler:
Some of us have been in Kenya for much longer than 6 months and I should point out a few inaccuracies.

Hospitals; Nairobi Hospital and MP Shah are also good.  Had positive experience of these.  Aga Khan is by far the most expensive.  Your theory on foreigner pricing for healthcare is inaccurate.  Anyone walking into a private hospital is assumed to have the financial means, it's little to do with 'whiteness' or 'status'.  The admission price is the same.  I haven't been charged any more than anyone else, in hospitals.  I also had a yellow fever vaccine in Kenya and paid the same price as everyone else.  I really don't know where you're getting this information from.   

If you have medical insurance, which is a sensible precaution, then the cost should be picked up by the insurer.

Vaccines; there hasn't been a case of Yellow Fever in Kenya since 1997.  It is an expensive vaccine at £60 in the UK and absolutely not necessary, unless you are travelling to another country that requires it. 

Rabies absolutely not needed unless you are going to work with animals. 

Unfortunately travel clinics will tell you otherwise and recommend all the vaccines you mentioned, but they make money out of it and most are really not necessary. 

I'd suggest Hep A and Hep B (which is a course of vaccinations, not just one).  I have Tetanus, Polio, Hep B as standard vaccinations given in the UK.  Other than that I have never had all the others you mention and have been travelling to and living in Kenya since 2002.  Never had a problem. 

I am unsure where you got your UK vaccination pricing from as Yellow Fever: £60, Hep A: £55, Hep B; £50 per dose (you need 3 doses), Rabies: £120 - £180 (you need a course of 3 x doses).  I am unsure how you can be effectively covered from some of these diseases if you get vaccinated in transit, as the course cannot be completed, so you will have spent money and not be immunised.

You cant have a Covid vaccination when in transit through the UK, again because you need another 12 weeks after the first and also I don't think it's available privately.

Ebola, you mentioned this, in connection with the heath news.  There have been no cases in Kenya, only health monitoring of arriving passengers.

You mentioned having a years stockpile of food............why?  Never done it, never considered it, or had the need to do it.  Kenyans don't stockpile food either.  None of my Kenyan relatives have mentioned food shortages - people running out of funds to buy food, yes, but that is different.

It is unfortunate that your 6 month stay appeared to have left you with such a negative impression.

/en/guide/africa/k … kenya.html

The US Embassy has informed private US citizens living in Kenya that they will not be provided a vaccination from the US Government. In other words, you are on your own.