Kenya requires a valid International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (the "yellow card") from travellers arriving from, or who have transited through, a country with yellow fever risk. If you are flying directly from a country with no yellow fever risk - most of Europe, North America, and much of Asia - you are not required to show a certificate to enter Kenya.
Kenya itself is classified as having yellow fever risk in parts of the country, so travel health authorities commonly recommend the vaccine for anyone heading outside Nairobi, Mombasa and the immediate coastal strip - which includes essentially every safari destination on this site. It is worth raising with your own doctor or a travel health clinic well before you fly.
A yellow fever vaccination only counts for entry purposes starting 10 days after it is administered, so it needs to be done well ahead of your trip rather than the week before. The certificate itself is valid for life once issued - no booster is required.
Even if your home country has no yellow fever risk, a long layover (commonly cited as more than 12 hours) in the airport of a country that does carry risk can trigger the requirement. If your routing includes a stopover in a yellow-fever-risk country, check this specifically rather than assuming your origin country is all that matters.
This matters beyond Kenya too: Uganda and Rwanda require a certificate from all arriving travellers regardless of origin, and Tanzania requires it from travellers arriving from endemic countries, which includes Kenya. If your trip crosses borders, check the requirement for every country on your route, not just the first one.
Rules and risk classifications are set by health authorities and can change. Confirm current requirements with a travel health clinic or your government's official travel health advisory before you travel, rather than relying solely on this page or any other single source.
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