UK warns against travel to parts of Kenya as Ebola case detected

NAIROBI, Kenya Oct 8 – The United Kingdom has retained its travel warnings for parts of Kenya, advising British nationals against all travel to several areas and against all but essential travel to others.

The latest advisory by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), updated on October 7, 2026, and still current on Thursday, also contains new information on Kenya’s response to the detection of an imported Ebola case.

The FCDO advises against all travel to Mandera County, Tarbaj and Wajir East constituencies in Wajir County—except Wajir Town—and areas of Wajir within 60 kilometres of the Kenya-Somalia border.

The warning also covers Garissa County, with exceptions for Garissa Town, Lagdera constituency and parts of Balambala constituency north and west of the main road running from Saka on the Tana River to the intersection with the C81 road.

Lamu County, except Lamu Island and Manda Island, is also listed under the “all travel” warning.

The UK government attributes the restrictions largely to the risk of terrorism from groups based in Somalia.

The FCDO has separately advised against all but essential travel to Garissa Town, Tana River County north of the Tana River up to Saka, and areas within 15 kilometres of Kenya’s east coast between the Tana River and the Galana (Athi-Galana-Sabaki) River.

The advisory warns that travellers who disregard the FCDO’s recommendations could find their travel insurance invalidated.

Ebola information added

The latest update comes as Kenya deals with its first imported case of Bundibugyo virus disease, a form of Ebola.

The FCDO said it had added information on the detection of the case and measures being taken by the Kenyan government in response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kenyan health authorities have said the case is imported and that measures including contact tracing and monitoring have been activated.

The FCDO’s update, however, does not replace or broaden its existing regional security warnings. The restrictions on travel to parts of northern and coastal Kenya remain primarily linked to terrorism risks.

The British government cautions that no travel can be guaranteed to be safe and urges travellers to read the full Kenya travel advisory before travelling.

The advisory is particularly significant for British nationals planning to visit Kenya, as FCDO travel advice can affect the terms of travel insurance policies.