Lead image for Court suspends government’s mandatory Sh6.4m visitor health insurance.
The High Court in Marsabit has suspended implementation of government’s decision to introduce Sh6.4 million mandatory travel health insurance for foreign visitors.
Justice Francis Rayola Olel granted the interim orders after the two Marsabit residents challenged Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale’s Gazette Notice establishing the requirement. The orders will remain in force pending hearing of the application on September 16, 2026.
The petition comes weeks after Vantage Point Ventures and the Consumers Federation of Kenya also challenged the notice and the programme’s implementation and insurer selection.
The contested notice, published on July 30, requires foreign visitors intending to stay in Kenya for less than 12 months to have travel health insurance with minimum cumulative benefits of US$50,000 (Sh6.4 million).
The cover must provide at least US$20,000 for medical expenses and US$25,000 for emergency medical transportation. It must provide US$300 for prescribed medicines, US$1,000 for mental illness and US$5,000 for repatriation of mortal remains.
The notice says, “the mandatory inbound travel health insurance shall be provided by insurers approved and licensed under the Insurance Act.” The mandatory cover is intended to accompany the foreign visitor for the entire period of their stay in Kenya.
Petitioners Edow Issack Mohammed, a businessman from El Wak, and activist Zhulekha Mohamed Edin challenged the requirement on grounds of alleged inadequate policy and administrative framework, and privacy and data-protection risks.
They also cited lack of public participation and potentially unaccounted taxpayer costs arising from changes to the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system.