Visitors to Kenya must buy local health cover even if insured at home, FAQ says

Foreign visitors to Kenya must buy the government-designated inbound travel health insurance even if they already hold a travel policy from their own country, according to a Kenya Tourism Board FAQ reported on 13 October 2026 by the African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA), a travel trade association.

The FAQ calls the cover a statutory requirement for all non-Kenyan visitors. The Nation reported on 8 August that, under a Ministry of Health clarification, travellers who already held travel health insurance from their home country were to upload proof of it before travel, provided it met the prescribed insurable value.

The cover pays up to US$50,000 per person, including medical expenses, emergency evacuation and repatriation. ATTA put the premium at US$44 a person; the FAQ says the premium is displayed on the eCitizen portal at purchase. At the 12 October central parity of 6.7313 yuan per US dollar, published by the China Foreign Exchange Trade System and carried by Xinhua, that is about 296 yuan for the premium and about 337,000 yuan for the full cover. The Nation puts US$50,000 at KSh 6.4 million.

The FAQ lists who does not need the cover: Kenyan citizens, holders of valid Kenyan residence status, citizens of East African Community partner states, refugees and stateless persons, diplomats, transit passengers who do not enter Kenya, and children under three. For under-threes the cover is not mandatory but can be bought if parents wish.

The legal basis is section 26(6) of the Social Health Insurance Act, 2023, which covers a non-Kenyan intending to enter and remain in Kenya for less than 12 months. Licensed Kenyan insurers carry the risk. The Social Health Authority does not underwrite the cover, and Minet Kenya is the claims administrator.

The minimum benefits are set by Gazette Notice No. 11492, signed by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and published in the Kenya Gazette on 30 July 2026. Of the US$50,000, US$20,000 is for medical expenses, US$25,000 for emergency medical transport and evacuation, and US$5,000 for repatriation of remains, the FAQ says. Within the medical limit, mental illness treatment is capped at US$1,000 and prescribed medicines at US$300.

The cover is bought through the eTA process and paid for on the eCitizen portal. Visitors must show proof of cover to be cleared at the port of entry; those who arrive without it can buy it through the eTA portal using a QR code available at every port. Fragomen, an immigration law firm, lists etakenya.go.ke for travellers eligible for the eTA and insurance.ecitizen.go.ke for those who are not.

Every traveller needs an individual policy, as there is no family or group cover. A policy stays inactive until the traveller arrives in Kenya, and no cover exists before payment is confirmed. A full refund is available if the policy is cancelled before travel, but not once a claim has been made. Validity follows that of the traveller's eTA, and limits are not reduced for short stays.

There is no excess, co-payment or deductible, and treatment at accredited panel hospitals is cashless on presentation of the passport and electronic proof. The 24-hour contact centre is +254 719 044 777. Visitors on a Kenyan mobile line can dial *202*15# and select "Find Hospital". After an emergency admission at a hospital outside the panel, the claims administrator must be told within 24 hours.

The policy excludes pre-existing conditions unless specifically accepted; elective, cosmetic or routine care; normal pregnancy and childbirth; and high-risk or professional sports. It covers COVID-19 and other infectious diseases under medical expenses.

Travel agents had already asked Immigration for details. In a letter dated 7 October, the Kenya Association of Travel Agents called the rollout "abrupt" and asked Immigration Director General Evelyn Cheluget to confirm the effective date, the traveller categories affected, approved insurers, premiums and exclusions, Business Daily reported on 8 October. The association also said the Immigration portal displays a Ministry of Health notice stating that health insurance is mandatory for incoming travellers.

For operators, hotels, airlines and agents, the FAQ says clients should buy the cover before travel through the official process only, declare their stay accurately, keep the electronic proof and save the 24-hour number.