Open Kenya’s eTA website today and its list of documents asks for a passport, a photo, an itinerary, an accommodation booking and a way to pay. It does not ask for health insurance. Two months ago the Ministry of Health said it would.

The USD 50,000 Rule Gazetted on 30 July

The Kenya travel insurance requirement comes from Gazette Notice No. 11492 of 30 July 2026. It sets the minimum health cover for non-Kenyans staying in the country for less than 12 months. The Ministry of Health tied it to Section 26(6) of the Social Health Insurance Act and to Regulation 70 of the Social Health Insurance Regulations, 2024. It said the requirement was not a new policy. The cover had to meet five minimums:

• Medical treatment: USD 20,000
• Emergency medical transportation: USD 25,000
• Repatriation of mortal remains: USD 5,000
• Mental health treatment: USD 1,000
• Prescribed medicines: USD 300

The total benefit could not be less than USD 50,000, from an insurer licensed under Kenya’s Insurance Act. That last condition sat awkwardly with what came next.

On 7 August Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale clarified that visitors could keep a policy bought at home. “Any traveller who possesses travel health insurance from their country of origin, provided it meets the insurable value as per Gazette Notice No. 11492 dated 30th July 2026, should upload it in the Kenya Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) system,” the ministry said, as reported by Kenyans.co.ke. Travellers without cover could buy it at the port of entry. Immigration officers would check it in the eTA before travel and, where necessary, on arrival. Neither the notice, as reported, nor the clarification says whether visitors who are exempt from the eTA, such as East African citizens, would also need the cover.

Suspended by the High Court on 24 August

On 24 August 2026 Justice Francis Rayola Olel suspended the Kenya travel insurance requirement until the case could be heard. The petitioners were two Marsabit residents, Edow Issack Mohammed and Zhulekha Mohamed Edin (Eastleigh Voice). They argued that the Interior Ministry and the immigration service decide who enters Kenya, not the Ministry of Health. Their lawyer, Charles Madowo, told the court that “the rushed way the gazette notice has been published and the conflicting attempt at clarification is indicative of a premature rollout”, The Standard reported.

Theirs was the second case. The Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK) had already sued the Health Cabinet Secretary and the Insurance Regulatory Authority. COFEK argued that the notice skipped public participation. It also said the notice did not show how the USD 50,000 figure was set, or how the money collected would be accounted for.

The orders were to stand until a hearing on 16 September (Kenyans.co.ke). Two days after that date, a Kenyans.co.ke report on Tanzania, published on 18 September, still described Kenya’s rule as stopped “pending the hearing and determination of the case”. We found no later ruling by 3 October.

What the eTA Asks For Today

On 3 October 2026 the Kenya eTA portal listed six things travellers typically need. They are a passport valid for six months with a blank page, a selfie or passport photo, contact details, an itinerary, an accommodation booking and a means of payment. None of the five information pages we checked mentions travel or health insurance. That is the same checklist we published when the eTA launched, in our January 2024 post Get an Electronic Travel Authorization First.

The fee starts at USD 30, with immediate processing for USD 100 more. Standard processing usually takes three working days, and the portal recommends applying at least two weeks before you fly. Citizens of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda need no eTA for stays of up to 180 days. The portal also lists dozens of African and other nationalities exempt for 60 or 90 days.

Tanzania’s Rule Is a Separate Policy

Tanzania’s new inbound travel insurance rule does not depend on the Kenyan court case, though we could not confirm the date it takes effect. Kenyans.co.ke reported the Insurance (Inbound Travel Insurance) Regulations, 2026, on 18 September. They apply to foreigners entering mainland Tanzania by land, sea or air. The policy costs USD 44 (KES 5,700), lasts up to 92 days from arrival and allows multiple entries. It covers emergency medical treatment, evacuation, repatriation and lost luggage. Tanzania’s National Insurance Corporation sells it, as do insurers working with it. Visitors who arrive without it may be refused entry. Kenyans and other East African and Southern African Development Community citizens are exempt. Zanzibar has had its own compulsory policy since October 2024.

A safari that combines Kenya and Tanzania therefore meets two different rules. Entering Kenya there is no insurance check while the orders stand. Entering Tanzania, once its regulations apply, there is a USD 44 policy.

Check Your Own Policy Against the Five Limits

The Kenya travel insurance requirement is suspended, and we found no report that Gazette Notice No. 11492 has been withdrawn. If the court lifts its orders, the ministry’s clarification says checks would happen in the eTA and, where necessary, at the port of entry. If your existing travel policy already meets the five Kenyan minimums, keep its schedule of benefits as a PDF on your phone. It costs nothing, and it is what the eTA would ask you to upload if the orders are lifted before you travel, although the petitioners dispute whether a home policy can satisfy the notice at all.

If your safari continues into Tanzania, budget USD 44 per non-exempt traveller once the rule applies, and ask your operator who arranges the policy. For the Kenyan side of that trip, our guide to things to do in the Maasai Mara starts where the eTA leaves off.