Arriving at JKIA Nairobi: A Complete Survival Guide for First-Timers

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) is East Africa's busiest hub — and your first impression of Kenya. Here's what to do, in order, from the moment your wheels touch tarmac.

1. Visa on arrival vs eTA

Since January 2024, Kenya uses an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) instead of visa-on-arrival. You apply online at etakenya.go.ke at least 3 days before travel. Cost: USD 30. Don't skip this — without an approved eTA you won't be allowed to board your flight to Nairobi. Print or screenshot the approval.

Citizens of East African Community countries (Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan) don't need an eTA.

2. Immigration & baggage

The arrival queue can be 10 minutes or 60 minutes depending on flight timing. Have your passport, eTA printout, and return flight details ready. Officers may ask where you're staying — have the hotel name memorised, not buried in your phone.

Baggage usually arrives within 20-30 minutes. Free trolleys are available. After collection you go through customs — green channel if nothing to declare. Drones, satellite phones, and large quantities of medication require declaration.

3. SIM card

The single most useful thing to buy at the airport. Get a Safaricom SIM (the green stalls inside arrivals — bring passport for registration). KES 100 for the SIM, then KES 1,000 (~$8) for 5GB of data and a calling balance that will last most travellers a week. Airtel and Telkom are cheaper but Safaricom has the best coverage in safari areas.

You'll want it active before leaving the airport — it's how you'll pay for taxis (M-Pesa), unlock the eJiji parking app later, and message your hotel.

4. Money: cash vs card vs M-Pesa

Forget exchanging large amounts of cash at the airport — rates are poor. Withdraw KES 10,000-20,000 from any ATM in arrivals (Equity, KCB, Stanbic all work with international cards). Cards work at hotels, supermarkets and big restaurants but rarely at small shops, fuel stations or matatus.

The real Kenyan currency is M-Pesa — once your Safaricom line is active, you can deposit cash into it at any kiosk and pay almost anywhere by SMS. Foreigners can use M-Pesa with a Kenyan SIM and ID/passport.

5. Getting from JKIA to your hotel

Three options, ranked by what we'd actually recommend:

1. Pre-booked airport transfer (KES 2,500 - 5,000): A driver waits in arrivals with your name on a sign. No haggling, no language barrier, no risk of being overcharged. Best choice for first-time visitors arriving late at night. Book here.
2. Uber / Bolt (KES 800 - 1,500 to most Nairobi areas): Cheap and reliable, but requires a working SIM and the apps installed. The pickup point at JKIA is on Level 2 of the parking — not the kerb outside arrivals.
3. Airport taxis (KES 2,000 - 4,000 quoted, KES 1,200 - 1,800 negotiated): The yellow taxis outside arrivals. Always agree the price BEFORE getting in. Tourists who don't negotiate routinely pay 2-3× the local rate.

6. What to avoid

• Strangers offering "help" with bags — politely decline. They expect a tip.
• Currency exchanges with no posted rate.
• Buying SIM cards from anyone outside the official Safaricom desk.
• Drinking unsealed bottled water — buy from vending machines or kiosks where you can see the cap is still sealed.

7. If you're hiring a car

Most rental companies (us included) deliver the car to your hotel rather than meeting you at the airport — saves you the airport pickup fee and avoids navigating Mombasa Road jet-lagged. Take the airport transfer in, sleep, then collect the car the next morning when you're rested.

Bottom line

JKIA isn't tourist-trap chaotic, but it's not LAX or Heathrow either. The five things that make arrival easy: pre-approved eTA, working SIM card on day one, M-Pesa active, pre-booked transfer, hotel address memorised. Do those four and you'll be in your hotel sipping a Tusker an hour after landing.