October 8, 2026 — Update to our October 7 story. A Kenyan High Court has upheld the rule requiring foreign visitors to hold travel health insurance, ending the suspension we mentioned yesterday. On Ebola, Kenya still has one confirmed case and one death. A suspected case in Wajir County is awaiting test results. No country has restricted travelers from Kenya, and US and Canadian entry rules are unchanged.
Travel insurance rule upheld
- The ruling: The High Court sitting in Marsabit dismissed the challenge to the government notice of July 30, 2026. The notice requires travel health insurance for non-Kenyans staying less than 12 months. Immigration officers may check for it on entry.
- What it replaces: Yesterday we called the insurance step unconfirmed because a court had suspended it in August. That suspension is now gone.
- Cost: VisasNews found a $44 premium plus a $1 fee, and a total of $52 at checkout in its test. The policy can now be bought separately on Kenya’s eCitizen site or during the eTA application.
- Your own policy: Whether a foreign travel insurance policy satisfies the rule is unsettled. Officials have given conflicting signals.
- Not yet official on the eTA site: The eTA home page showed no notice when we checked. The enforcement date and any exemptions are TBA.
Ebola: what changed
- Cases: One confirmed, one death. No second case.
- Contacts: The health ministry’s October 7 release lists 57 contacts, with 10 in quarantine in Nairobi. No newer figure was published on October 8.
- Suspected case in Wajir: A 20-year-old man was isolated with a suspected viral haemorrhagic fever after travel from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A sample went to the national laboratory on October 7. The result is TBA, and it is not confirmed as Ebola.
- The 10 countries, now from the ministry: DRC, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Angola, Zambia, Rwanda, Burundi, Central African Republic and South Sudan. Somalia is not on the list.
- Arrivals: Flights from those countries are screened at Gate 16 in Nairobi. Arriving passengers are told to complete the online health declaration before landing.
- Departures: Reports conflict. One quotes an official saying Kenya may introduce exit screening. Another says exit forms are already required. Treat it as possible.
- Correction to yesterday: The ministry lists five designated treatment facilities with 241 beds, not the 23 centres reported in the press.
What governments say
- Kenya: The health minister told ambassadors on October 8 that the country remains open for travel and tourism.
- World Health Organization: Its director-general advised on October 7 against blanket travel or trade restrictions.
- United States: Kenya has not been added to any entry measure. The Kenya advisory remains Level 2. The embassy’s health alert, as reported by Kenyan press, says to monitor your health for 21 days after possible exposure, call ahead before visiting a clinic and check medical evacuation cover.
- Canada: Unchanged. Measures cover the DRC, South Sudan and Uganda until November 27, 2026.
- Outbreak totals: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed 8,688 confirmed cases and 4,181 confirmed deaths on October 7, nearly all in the DRC.
What it means for airline travelers
- Sort out insurance before you fly. Buy the Kenyan policy with your eTA or carry proof of your own cover, and be ready to show it at immigration. You cannot fix this at the gate.
- Apply for the eTA early. The insurance step adds cost and time.
- Kenya is open. Flights are operating and we found no airline suspension.
- Allow extra time in Nairobi for health screening on arrival, and possibly on departure.
- Recheck US and Canadian rules on the day you travel home. Neither country has added Kenya, but standby travelers have no margin if that changes.
- Health questions belong with the official CDC and Canadian notices and your own doctor. Register with STEP (US) or Registration of Canadians Abroad.
Sources
- Eastleigh Voice: High Court upholds mandatory travel insurance for foreigners entering Kenya
- VisasNews: Kenya: Mandatory travel insurance now available separately from ETA, court upholds requirement
- Kenya eTA: Home page
- Ministry of Health Kenya (via APO Group): Kenya Strengthens Ebola Preparedness and Contact Tracing
- The Standard: Wajir patient isolated over suspected viral haemorrhagic fever
- KBC: Duale assures Kenya is safe, open amid imported Ebola case
- Capital FM: Arrivals from 10 African countries face enhanced Ebola screening at JKIA’s Gate 16
- Nairobi Wire: Kenya Requires Arrivals From 10 African States to Use Gate 16 at JKIA After First Ebola Case
- World Health Organization: WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing – 7 October 2026
- Kenya Times: Ebola In Kenya: U.S. Embassy In Nairobi Issues Health Alert
- US CDC: Ebola Outbreak: Current Situation
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada: Ebola disease: Temporary measures
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Kenya travel advice
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