Kenya · Africa
Moving to Nairobi
Nairobi quick facts
Kenya at a glance
Sub-Saharan Africa
Economy
World Bank · 2025Religion
% of populationCIA World Factbook / national censuses
Cost of living in Nairobi
Can you move to Kenya?
Pick your passport to see whether you can enter Kenya — and what it takes to stay.
Entry rules come from github.com/imorte/passport-index-data, updated 17 February 2026. They change without notice — confirm with the official immigration service before booking.
Getting set up in Kenya
Class D work permit and the alien card
A Class D employment permit is employer-sponsored and granted on the basis that your skills are not readily available in Kenya. Applications go through the eFNS portal and can be started from abroad, but passport endorsement and alien card registration must be completed inside the country. A security bond is mandatory.
Read the full step-by-step guideConverting your licence with NTSA
A foreign licence is accepted for a limited period after arrival, generally alongside an International Driving Permit. Beyond that, residents convert through NTSA's online platform. The process requires a KRA PIN, which places it after the alien card or endorsed permit in your sequence.
Read the full step-by-step guideBank account, M-Pesa and mobile money
Kenyan banks require a KRA PIN, which in turn requires the alien card or an endorsed permit — so the bank account sits at the end of a long chain. M-Pesa, by contrast, is tied to your phone number and available almost immediately, and it handles the overwhelming majority of everyday payments in Kenya.
Read the full step-by-step guideSHIF, private cover and Nairobi's hospitals
Kenya's national health insurance was restructured, with the Social Health Insurance Fund replacing NHIF and contributions deducted from salaries. In practice, expatriates and professionals in Nairobi rely on private medical cover, and the city has the best private hospitals in the region. Evacuation cover is a standard part of the package.
Read the full step-by-step guideGetting a Kenyan SIM and M-Pesa
Safaricom dominates, with Airtel and Telkom as alternatives. SIM registration against identification is mandatory, and foreigners register with a passport. Registering the SIM simultaneously opens the door to M-Pesa, which is the real prize — Kenya's mobile money system handles a very large share of the country's transactions.
Read the full step-by-step guideKRA PIN, PAYE and tax residency
The KRA Personal Identification Number is required for employment, banking, property and utilities. Foreign nationals can only obtain one with an alien card, or with a work permit endorsed in the passport plus an employer letter. Employment income is taxed through PAYE at graduated rates, and tax residency turns on days of presence.
Read the full step-by-step guideEach guide has verified costs, timelines, required documents, and the non-obvious gotchas — sourced from official government pages. Last verified July 2026.
Essential Swahili phrases
Reading a list isn’t learning it. Globe Quest turns these into a trainer — hear each phrase spoken, drill them with spaced repetition, and get scored as you say them out loud.
What to know before you go
The alien card needs three unbroken months in Kenya
CriticalA foreign national registration certificate can only be issued after you've stayed three continuous months without leaving. Since the KRA PIN — and therefore banking and tax — depends on it or on a passport-endorsed work permit, an early trip home can silently reset your whole administrative timeline. Plan travel around this.
Nairobi's altitude makes it cool, not hot
ImportantAt roughly 1,795 metres on the equator, Nairobi has spring-like days and genuinely cold evenings. Newcomers pack for tropical Africa and spend their first month cold. Bring layers and something warm for June and July.
Set up M-Pesa immediately
CriticalKenya invented mobile money and the country runs on it. Rent, groceries, market stalls, taxis, splitting a bill — all M-Pesa. A resident without it is doing everything the hard way, and it's tied to your SIM, so it's one of the first things to arrange.
Learn the local security habits without becoming paranoid
CriticalNairobi has real property crime and locals manage it with routine: don't display phones in traffic, use ride-hailing after dark, keep car doors locked, and ask colleagues which areas to avoid at which hours. Adopt the local norms and daily life is unremarkable.
Traffic shapes the day
ImportantNairobi congestion is severe and unpredictable. Meetings drift, and a 10km trip can take ninety minutes. Locals plan around it rather than fighting it, and working from home on the worst days is normal.
Nairobi time is a real thing
Good to knowSocial events start later than stated, often substantially. Business meetings are more punctual but still looser than northern European norms. Confirm the same morning rather than assuming a two-week-old arrangement holds.
Top industries & employers
Regional headquarters & international organisations
UNEP, UN-Habitat, Google, Visa, Microsoft, Unilever
Nairobi hosts the only UN global headquarters in the Global South and is the base for most multinationals' Africa operations — the largest single driver of expatriate employment.
Technology & mobile money
Safaricom, M-Pesa, Cellulant, Twiga Foods, Sendy
'Silicon Savannah' — M-Pesa made Kenya a genuine world leader in mobile financial services, and the startup ecosystem is the strongest in East Africa.
Financial services
Equity Bank, KCB, Co-operative Bank, NCBA
Kenyan banks operate across East Africa, and Nairobi is the region's financial centre.
Development & humanitarian sector
UN agencies, World Bank, USAID partners, major INGOs
One of the largest concentrations of development-sector employment anywhere, with a large associated expatriate community around Gigiri.
Agriculture & horticulture
Cut-flower exporters, tea and coffee producers
Kenya is one of the world's largest cut-flower exporters, with the corporate and logistics functions run from Nairobi.
Tourism & conservation
Safari operators, conservation NGOs, Kenya Wildlife Service
Nairobi is the gateway to the safari circuit and a hub for conservation organisations working across the region.
Where to go in Nairobi
Nairobi National Park
Nature · South of the centre
The only national park inside a capital city — lions, rhinos and giraffe with the skyline visible behind them.
Local tip: Go at dawn on a weekday. Being a genuine wildlife park twenty minutes from downtown offices is a fact about Nairobi nowhere else can match.
Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
Nature · Near the national park
The elephant orphanage, open to visitors for one hour a day while the calves are fed.
Local tip: Book well ahead — the visiting window is short and slots go. Fostering a calf gets you access to a quieter evening visit.
Karen & the Karen Blixen Museum
Culture · South-west suburbs
The farmhouse from 'Out of Africa', set in leafy Karen with the Ngong Hills behind it.
Local tip: Combine it with the Giraffe Centre and lunch in Karen. It's a half-day and the most pleasant way to see the colonial-era side of the city.
Westlands
Nightlife · North-west of the centre
The city's restaurant and nightlife district — rooftop bars, live music and the widest range of food in Nairobi.
Local tip: Where the city actually goes out. Take a ride-hailing car both ways rather than walking between venues after dark.
Maasai Market
Culture · Rotates by day across the city
An open-air craft market that moves to a different location each day of the week.
Local tip: Check which day it's where before setting out. Bargaining is expected and enthusiastic — start well below the opening price and stay good-humoured.
Nairobi Railway Museum
Hidden gemCulture · Near the central station
The rolling stock of the Uganda Railway rusting quietly in a yard, including the carriage from the Tsavo man-eating lions story.
Local tip: Almost nobody goes, which is why it's worth it. You can climb on most of the locomotives and the caretaker will tell you the stories properly.
Emergency numbers in Nairobi
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