Travel Risk Atlas

Kenya

Eastern Africa · Capital Nairobi

Level 2 United States Exercise Increased Caution FCDO United Kingdom Against all travel to parts Yellow Netherlands Yellow — pay attention Level 2 Canada Exercise a high degree of caution AA Germany Teilreisewarnung — advises against travel to parts

Each opens that government's own advisory for Kenya — the authoritative version, updated far faster than this page.

58.1 Moderate risk
Atlas Risk Score · 189th safest of 220
elephants on rad
Photo: redcharlie / Unsplash

Kenya's safari circuit is well run and the reason most people come. The risk picture divides sharply: national parks and the main tourist infrastructure are professionally managed, while parts of Nairobi and the areas near the Somali border are not places to improvise.

Malaria is present across most of the country outside Nairobi and the highlands, and prophylaxis is a serious recommendation rather than a formality.

Where the risk actually is

Each region is coloured by the advice that applies to most of it, drawn by hand from the wording of all five government advisories. Numbered markers flag localised warnings — usually a border strip or remote interior — that cover only a small part of an otherwise lower-risk region.

Central — Travel with cautionCoast — Travel with cautionCoast — Travel with cautionEastern — Travel with cautionNairobi — Travel with cautionNorth Eastern (Mandera, Wajir, Garissa) — Do not travelNyanza — Travel with cautionRift Valley — Travel with cautionWestern — Travel with cautionLake VictoriaLake ManyaraLake LembeniMasinga Res.Lake TurkanaChew BahirLake EyasiLake Natron1. Lamu mainland — Do not travel12. Tana delta and Malindi coast — Essential travel only23. Marsabit and Moyale — Essential travel only34. Mombasa suburbs — Essential travel only45. Nairobi: Eastleigh and informal settlements — Essential travel only5
What governments advise Do not travel Travel with caution Localised warning — see the notes below

This map reads stronger than the world map's colour, and both are right. The world map shades Kenya by its Atlas Risk Score — 58, Moderate — which blends government advice with crime, health, roads and natural hazards. This map shows the advice alone, and the strongest level anywhere in Kenya is “do not travel”.

What the warnings actually cover

  • North Eastern (Mandera, Wajir, Garissa) — Do not travel. Do not travel, because of terrorism from groups based in Somalia. Narrow exceptions exist for Wajir town, Garissa town (essential travel only), Lagdera and part of Balambala. No safari route goes here.
  • 1
    Lamu mainland — Do not travel. Do not travel to mainland Lamu county and Kiwayu island. Lamu Island and Manda Island themselves are explicitly excluded and remain open to visitors.
  • 2
    Tana delta and Malindi coast — Essential travel only. Essential travel only north of the Tana river as far as Saka, and within 15km of the coast between the Tana and Galana rivers. Malindi, Watamu and Diani beach further south are outside the warning.
  • 3
    Marsabit and Moyale — Essential travel only. Essential travel only in the far north near the Ethiopian border.
  • 4
    Mombasa suburbs — Essential travel only. The Dutch advice singles out Changamwe, Majengo, Kisauni, Likoni and the informal settlements — not the old town, the ferry route or the south-coast beach hotels.
  • 5
    Nairobi: Eastleigh and informal settlements — Essential travel only. Eastleigh, Pangani and the informal settlements. Central Nairobi, Karen and Westlands are not covered, though walking after dark is not advised anywhere in the city.

A numbered marker warns about the small area described in its note — the rest of that region carries the base advice. Mapped by hand from the official wording in July 2026; always check the current advisory before you book.

What drives the score

Each pillar is scored 0–100 against every other country. Longer bar = more risk.

Conflict & terrorism
15% of score
86/100
194th of 220
Road & transport
10% of score
73/100
185th of 220
Health & medical
15% of score
67/100
186th of 220
Political stability
10% of score
56/100
188th of 220
Official advisories
25% of score
47/100
180th of 220
Crime
15% of score
43/100
140th of 220
Natural hazards
10% of score · mainly drought, flooding
42/100
140th of 220
Women's safety
not in the score
81/100

Biggest factor here: conflict & terrorism. Armed conflict, political violence and terrorism exposure.

Practical facts

The things worth knowing before you land.

Emergency number
999
112 and 911 also work. Tourist helpline: 020 604767
Currency
KES Sh
Languages
English
Swahili
Visa (EU passport)
eTA required
US: eTA required · UK: eTA required
Population
57.5m
World Bank 2025
Capital
Nairobi
Driving
On the left
28.3 road deaths per 100k
Power
Type G
220-240V
Basic water access
66%
Patchy — many households lack it · of residents, not a tap-water verdict
Dialling code
+254
GDP per capita
$2k
A rough guide to price levels
Visitors a year
2.0m
International arrivals, 2019
Malaria risk
9.9/10
INFORM exposure score — see a travel clinic

When to go

Average daytime high and nightly low for Nairobi, over 2010-2019. Bars are rainfall; the colour band is how hot the days get.

Mildest and driest around All year.

Daytime high warm hot
Top figure is the average daytime high, below it the average nightly low, and millimetres of rain under each bar. Figures are the average daytime high; bar heights are the month's rainfall. Shaded months are the mild, drier ones. Source: NASA POWER daily observations, 2010-2019, public domain.

Common scams in Kenya

Patterns reported repeatedly by travellers and local police. None of this is about individual businesses — it's about set-ups you can learn to spot in seconds.

Fake safari operators and prepaid tours

Nairobi, MombasaCommon

A cheap multi-day safari is paid for in advance to an operator with a convincing website that does not appear on the day, or delivers a much lower standard with an unroadworthy vehicle.

How to avoid it: Book operators licensed by the Kenya Tourism Regulatory Authority and members of KATO, pay by card or in stages, and never transfer the full amount to a personal account.

Sources Kenya Association of Tour Operators Kenya Tourism Regulatory Authority

M-Pesa and mobile money reversal requests

NationwideCommon

A message claims money was sent to you in error and asks you to send it back. The original transfer is fake or reversed, leaving you out of pocket.

How to avoid it: Check your actual balance in the app before acting on any message, and never send money in response to an SMS.

Sources Safaricom M-Pesa security guidance

Nairobi taxi and 'friend from your hotel' approaches

NairobiCommon

Someone claims to work at your hotel or to have met you earlier, builds rapport, then leads to a drugging or robbery.

How to avoid it: Use ride-hailing apps, which are widespread. Do not accept drinks or lifts from people who recognise you unprompted.

Sources UK FCDO Kenya safety and security

Risk hotspots

Specific places that come up again and again — either in government advisories or in traveller reports. Everywhere else in Kenya is not automatically fine, but these are the areas worth a plan.

Kenya–Somalia border counties Terrorism

Garissa, Wajir and Mandera carry do-not-travel advice; al-Shabaab attacks and kidnapping risk.

Nairobi: Eastleigh, Kibera, CBD after dark Violent crime

Robbery risk is high enough that walking after dark in the CBD is not advised even by residents.

Lamu and coastal areas north of Malindi Security

Restricted advice in places due to cross-border security concerns.

Malaria and health preparation

Take antimalarials for coastal and lowland areas including the Maasai Mara, use repellent with DEET at dusk and dawn, and sleep under a net. Yellow fever vaccination is required if arriving from an at-risk country and is recommended generally.

Any fever after returning home needs a malaria test and a mention of your travel history — it can appear weeks later.

On safari

Stay in the vehicle unless your guide says otherwise, keep quiet near animals, and never get between a hippo and water — hippos kill more people in Africa than lions. Walk with an armed ranger where camps require it, including between tents at night.

Compare with neighbours

Sources for this page

Vaccinations, malaria and outbreaks. This atlas does not give medical advice — it is personal, it changes, and it is the one thing worth getting from a doctor. Both national services publish current advice for Kenya:

CDC Travelers' HealthTravelHealthPro (NHS/UKHSA)

Check the official advisory before you book. This page reflects data as of August 2026. Advisories change without warning, and only your own government's advice affects your travel insurance.