Sub Saharan Africa

• Travel Summary
• Safety and security
• Local laws and customs
• Entry requirements

• Health
• Natural disasters
• General
 

Travel Summary

• There is a high threat from terrorism in Kenya. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travelers. Previous attacks have included a bomb attack on a hotel, which resulted in significant loss of life, and an unsuccessful attempt to bring down a civilian airliner in Mombasa, both in November 2002.
  
  
• We advise against all but essential travel to low income areas of Nairobi, including all township or slum areas, which  experience high crime levels. See the crime section of this advice for more details.
  
  
• We advise against all but essential travel to within 30 kilometres of Kenya's border with Somalia. There have been recent attacks by Somali militia into Kenya and the recent kidnapping of three aid workers in July and of two Western nuns in November 2008.  See the Terrorism section of this advice for more details.
  
  
• 123,322 British Nationals visited Kenya in 2008 (Source: Kenya Tourist Board). 114 British nationals required consular assistance in Kenya in the period 01 April 2008 – 31 March 2009 for the following types of incident, deaths (29 cases), hospitalisations (22 cases), and arrests, for a variety of offences (41 cases). During this period assistance was also requested with regard to lost or stolen passports (127 cases).  
  
  
• We recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling. You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for all the activities you want to undertake. See the General (Insurance) section of this advice and our Travel Insurance page for more details.