Kenya

Is Kenya safe to visit?

For an organised safari or a beach holiday, mostly yes. Most visitors to the Maasai Mara, Amboseli and Diani have no trouble, and the areas the UK advises against are in the far north-east and north coast, well off the tourist routes. But Kenya carries more risk than most popular destinations. Armed robbery and carjacking are common in the cities, al-Shabaab still threatens attacks and kidnaps, protests turn deadly, and the roads are among the worst in Africa. We score Kenya 49, close to South Africa and well below Morocco.

Where not to go

The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary advises against all travel to Mandera County, the parts of Wajir and Garissa counties near the Somali border, and Lamu County except Lamu and Manda islands. It advises against all but essential travel to Garissa Town, northern Tana River County and the coast between the Tana and Galana rivers. The reason is al-Shabaab, which is based in Somalia.

The threat reaches beyond the border areas. The FCDO says terrorists are very likely to try attacks across Kenya, including at hotels, malls, beaches and safari parks, and that there is a high threat of kidnap of westerners. The last major attack in Nairobi was on the DusitD2 hotel complex in 2019. In practice, choose hotels and malls with real security checks, and fly to Lamu rather than drive.

Protests and police

Street protests are a separate risk. Since the Gen Z tax protests of 2024, demonstrations over taxes, fuel prices and police violence have flared regularly, mostly in Nairobi and western Kenya. The monitoring group Missing Voices counted 19 people killed during fuel-price protests on 18 and 19 May 2026, mostly by police. The US says protesters have attacked vehicles carrying Americans, including safari vehicles. Avoid the city centre on announced protest days and anniversaries such as 25 June and 7 July.

Roads: the biggest physical danger

WHO estimatedWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary 28.3 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2019, more than twice the United States estimate. The National Transport and Safety Authority counts fewer, 4,458 deaths in 2025 up to 2 December, or about 8 per 100,000, but even that was higher than the whole of 2024. Pedestrians and motorbike riders make up most of the dead.

The US calls road crashes one of the main causes of injury and death of Americans in Kenya. The Nairobi–Nakuru and Nairobi–Mombasa highways are mostly two lanes with reckless overtaking. Matatus (minibuses) crash often and are frequently uninsured, and the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary reports hijackings and robberies on them. Use the train between Nairobi and Mombasa, avoid driving at night, and wear a seatbelt in safari vehicles.

Crime in Nairobi and Mombasa

The homicide rateHomicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary was 4.9 per 100,000 in 2022, but that number understates what visitors face. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary reports frequent mugging, armed robbery and carjacking in big cities and on highways, sometimes in daylight. Higher-risk areas include Nairobi's CBD, Eastleigh, Kibera and Mathare, and in Mombasa the Old Town and the Likoni ferry. Thieves pose as police or security guards, and drinks are spiked in bars to rob or assault victims.

Crime rises over Christmas and New Year. If you are robbed, do not resist.

Health

Health risks are real. CDC recommends malaria prevention for many areas, including the coast and the main parks, and yellow fever vaccine for most travellers going beyond Nairobi. Rabid dogs are common. Outside a few private hospitals in Nairobi and Mombasa, care is limited, and the US says hospitals usually want payment upfront, so carry insurance that includes air evacuation.

On 6 October 2026 Kenya confirmed its first imported case of Ebola, caused by the Bundibugyo virus behind the large outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to WHO, the patient had travelled from Congo through Uganda and died in hospital on 5 October; WHO is still assessing the risk for Kenya. The government is tracing contacts, quarantining people at risk and screening travellers at borders, especially those arriving from Uganda, Ethiopia and Congo. One imported case does not change the risk on a safari or beach trip, but check the latest FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary and CDC advice before you go.

How to stay safe in Kenya

• Book safaris with registered operators, never with touts in town.
• Take the Mombasa Road or the Nairobi Expressway from the airport, not Airport South Road.
• Keep car doors locked and windows up in traffic.
• Ask traffic police for paperwork; on-the-spot fines are illegal.
• Do not swim in lakes or rivers; it is illegal in national parks, and CDC lists schistosomiasis.
• Call 999 in an emergency.

How we scored it

Road safety (33) is the weakest factor; we score on WHO's estimate of 28.3 per 100,000 and note that the national count is lower but rising. Petty crime (42), conflict (45) and health (50) all reflect city robbery, the al-Shabaab threat and deadly protests, and malaria and limited care. Natural hazards (65) is the strongest factor.