Travel vaccinations for Kenya

What vaccines do you need for Kenya?

Yellow fever vaccination is a legal requirement for entry into Kenya from the UK. Beyond that, hepatitis A, typhoid and cholera are strongly recommended for all travellers. The risk-based vaccines depend on your itinerary and activities.

If you are on safari in remote reserves, rabies pre-exposure is particularly important as medical facilities may be hours away from camp.

Malaria on safari: the essential advice

Malaria is present throughout Kenya below 2500m, including Nairobi, the coast and all major safari areas. Both Plasmodium falciparum (the dangerous type) and P. vivax are present.

Wildlife, rabies and animal contact

Safari is about getting close to wildlife, but animal bites remain a risk. Monkeys near lodges, stray dogs in towns and bats in caves all carry rabies. The pre-exposure vaccine buys critical time to reach treatment.

Travelling with children

Family safaris are increasingly popular. Children need the same vaccines as adults (yellow fever from 9 months). They are more vulnerable to dehydration, malaria and animal curiosity. We vaccinate the whole family in one visit.

What to pack from the pharmacy

We’ll build you a Kenya travel kit: antimalarials, DEET repellent, SPF 50+, rehydration sachets, anti-diarrhoea treatment, bite-relief cream and antihistamines. Everything over the counter at 139 New Road.

Your yellow fever certificate: what it is and what it must say

The International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis, the yellow booklet, is a legal travel document rather than a receipt. It is only valid if it is issued by a designated Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre, and we are one. It must carry your name exactly as it appears on your passport, the date of vaccination, the batch number and the centre's official stamp.

Since 2016 the certificate has been valid for life, so a dose given years ago still counts and you do not need a booster for entry purposes. It becomes valid ten days after vaccination, which is the deadline that catches people out on late bookings. If you have lost an old certificate, bring whatever record you have and we will work out whether a replacement can be issued or whether you need another dose.

Kenya requires the certificate from travellers arriving from a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission, and asks for it at land borders more consistently than at Nairobi airport. If your trip loops through Tanzania, Uganda or Ethiopia, or transits through one of them for more than twelve hours, the requirement can apply even when your outbound flight from the UK does not trigger it. Bring the full route.

Booking a Kenya travel clinic near you in Medway

We are at 139 New Road in Chatham, two minutes from Chatham railway station, and we are one of the few designated Yellow Fever Vaccination Centres in Medway. That matters for Kenya: not every pharmacy can give the vaccine or issue the certificate, so travellers come to us from Gillingham, Rochester, Strood, Rainham, Walderslade, Sittingbourne and Maidstone rather than travelling into London for it.

Safari itineraries are rarely simple, and a Kenya trip often adds Tanzania, Zanzibar or Uganda on the end. Each leg can change what you need, and a yellow fever certificate issued for Kenya may also be checked at a land border you had not thought about. Bring the whole route and we will map the requirements against it in one appointment.