Kenya Visitor Insurance Checked at Check-in (AIC 11/26)

Kenya's mandatory inbound travel health insurance is now checked at the airport of departure, not only on arrival. A Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) circular, AIC 11/26, issued on 9 October 2026, asks airlines flying into Kenya to verify proof of cover at check-in for every non-exempt passenger before boarding. The requirement applies to arrivals from 5 October 2026, whatever the ticket date. Foreign travel insurance does not count.

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

What the circular says

Topic AIC 11/26

Legal basis Section 26(6), Social Health Insurance Act 2023; Regulation 70, Social Health Insurance Regulations 2024

Start Arrivals from 5 October 2026, irrespective of ticket or booking date

Who checks Airlines at check-in; immigration officers on arrival, with a Validator App

Foreign policies Not accepted. Cover must come from local insurers licensed under the Insurance Act (Cap. 487). No process exists to accept foreign certificates

ETA-exempt travellers Still need cover. Exemption from the eTA is not an exemption from insurance (non-EAC African nationals included)

Who needs a policy Every non-Kenyan entering for under 12 months, children included, one policy each

Validity 90 days, multiple entries while valid. A new policy is needed after 90 days

Where to buy Inside the eTA application at etakenya.go.ke (portal prompt since 5 Oct); payment and policy document on eCitizen

Benefit limits: the circular sets a cumulative policy benefit limit of up to US$50,000, comprising medical expenses 20,000, emergency medical transportation 25,000, prescribed medicines 300, mental illness 1,000 and repatriation of mortal remains 5,000. The five per-benefit figures add up to US$51,300, and the circular does not explain the gap, so quote them as published and do not describe US$50,000 as a minimum.

Who is exempt

Kenyan citizens, holders of valid residence status, citizens of East African Community partner states, asylum seekers, holders of diplomatic, official and service passports, crew (with employer cover or staying within the port), and transit passengers who do not seek entry. Refugees and stateless persons are not exempt on that basis.

What the circular asks airlines to do

The circular asks airlines to:

Tell passengers at booking and before departure.

Ask for and check proof of cover at check-in for every non-exempt passenger, including those who need no eTA.

Check supporting documents for any claimed exemption and refer doubtful cases to immigration.

Advise passengers without cover to buy it online before departure.

What OTAs and airlines should do

Make insurance a hard step for Kenya. Treat it like the eTA: no proof, no travel.

Cover eTA-exempt and existing-eTA travellers. They need the policy too. Point them to the official channel.

Stop saying "your travel insurance is fine." Customers can keep their own cover for cancellation and baggage, but they still need the Kenyan policy.

Store the policy document per traveller. Check-in staff will ask for it and immigration will validate it.

Show the cost separately. Display the premium as its own line, apart from the eTA fee and your service fee. The eTA portal showed US$44 per traveller when we last checked.

Plan repeat trips around 90 days. Do not promise one-year cover.

Legal status

The High Court dismissed the challenge to the scheme in early October 2026 (reported 6 to 7 October). An appeal remains possible, so check the official channels before you change fees or messaging again.

KCAA Aeronautical Information Circular AIC 11/26, "Mandatory inbound travel health insurance", 9 Oct 2026 (the document is headed "Publication Date: 09 OCT 2026" and paragraph 1.2 says it "is issued on 9th October 2026"; copy hosted by Malawian Airlines, whose file name carries "261010" but the document itself shows no 10 October date; not yet on kcaa.or.ke).

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.

Sources

KCAA AIC 11/26, Mandatory inbound travel health insurance, 9 Oct 2026 verified 16 Oct 2026 · Kenya eTA portal verified 16 Oct 2026 · Daily Nation, court coverage verified 16 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.