Kenya Ebola Screening and Health Declaration

On 12 October 2026, Kenya's Health Cabinet Secretary declared Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus a formidable epidemic disease and published new Public Health (Ebola Disease) Rules. The rules apply at every airport, seaport and land border. For travel sellers, the practical change is simple: every passenger flying into or out of Kenya now has a legal duty to be screened and to complete a health declaration.

This sits on top of Kenya's ETA and the mandatory inbound travel health insurance that started in early October. The health declaration is an extra step, not a replacement.

This note is for airlines and OTAs selling Kenya. It is not legal advice.

What changed

The two instruments are in Kenya Gazette Supplement No. 240 of 12 October 2026: Legal Notice No. 203, the Public Health (Declaration of Formidable Epidemic Disease) Order, 2026, and Legal Notice No. 204, the Public Health (Ebola Disease) Rules, 2026.

Topic What the Rules say

Who Any person entering or departing Kenya. Some measures also apply to people in transit.

Screening Everyone must undergo screening and give contact details, travel history, and information on symptoms or possible exposure through a health declaration, on paper or electronically.

Refusal Port health officers can refer the person to immigration or, where there is a public health risk, arrange separation, assessment, isolation or quarantine. Kenyan citizens cannot be refused entry.

Contacts A contact identified at a point of entry can be quarantined and monitored for 21 days from the last exposure. Release can come earlier after two negative tests.

No blanket quarantine Quarantine or travel restrictions cannot be imposed only because someone arrives from an affected country, without an assessment of exposure.

Quarantine cost Paid by the government in a government facility. Paid by the traveler in a private facility, unless a medical officer ordered the placement in writing.

Carriers Operators must report suspected cases before arrival where practicable, keep passenger and crew records for contact tracing, and cooperate with port health.

Penalties Failing to comply or giving false or misleading information is an offence.

Duration Reviewed at least every three months. The Rules lapse 12 months after they start unless revoked earlier.

An older measure still applies. Since May 2026, KCAA circular AIC 07/26 has required travelers originating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Uganda to complete an Electronic Traveler Surveillance Form before disembarking in Kenya. Carriers flying from or via those countries must give passengers the form link before the journey.

Kenya has not closed its borders. Kenya Airways' travel advisory describes enhanced screening for travelers who arrive from, or recently visited, affected areas.

What airlines and OTAs should do now

Add a Kenya health notice to confirmations and pre-departure emails. Say that all passengers will be screened and must complete a health declaration on arrival and on departure.

Flag DRC and Uganda itineraries. For trips that start in or connect through the DRC or Uganda, include the Electronic Traveler Surveillance Form requirement from AIC 07/26.

Tell passengers to answer truthfully. False or misleading information is an offence under the Rules.

Build in time at Nairobi and Mombasa. Allow extra time at arrival and departure, especially for tight onward connections.

Explain the quarantine cost rule. A traveler placed in a private facility may have to pay unless a medical officer ordered it in writing. Point customers to their own travel insurance for this.

Keep Kenya's other steps in the flow. The ETA and the mandatory Kenyan inbound health insurance are still required. See Kenya's ETA portal and the US$44 insurance requirement and the Kenya ETA consent letter and affidavit.

Watch for changes. The Rules must be reviewed at least every three months. Check the Ministry of Health and KCAA before changing your messaging.

Watch Kenya

Coverage alerts send one email per rule change for the destinations you pick, from the partner console. Systems can take the same events as webhooks; the shape is in the developer docs. The live requirement for any passport is always in the requirements checker.

Information taken from the sources below. Not legal advice. Confirm the current health rule on the Ministry of Health notice before you change a passenger script.

Sources

Kenya Gazette Supplement No. 240, Legal Notices 203 and 204 verified 14 Oct 2026 · KCAA, AIC 07/26, 21 May 2026 verified 14 Oct 2026 · Kenya Airways travel alerts verified 14 Oct 2026

Loris Mazloum

Founder, SimpleVisa

Loris Mazloum founded SimpleVisa and writes the coverage notes on this blog for airlines, OTAs, and other travel companies. Each note is checked against the government source named at the bottom before it publishes. SimpleVisa keeps requirement data for 190+ destinations and files applications where a government channel exists.

Kenya Makes Ebola Screening and a Health Declaration Mandatory on Entry and Exit: What Airlines and OTAs Should Tell Passengers

What changed

What airlines and OTAs should do now

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