Moving to Nairobi? The Ultimate 30-Day Relocation Checklist (2026)

Start the visa or work permit process — employer-sponsored permits take longer than the electronic travel authorisation, so run them in parallel. Begin the housing search now, not on arrival: a live video viewing plus ownership verification is enough to secure a furnished unit before you fly.

Apply to schools in the same week. ISK, Brookhouse, Hillcrest and the Lycée all have admissions cycles and waiting lists, and the school you get frequently determines the suburb you live in. Confirm international health insurance covers Kenya and names the private hospitals you expect to use.

Sign the lease and get the signed inventory in advance. Arrange an airport transfer rather than improvising at 03:00 in the JKIA arrivals hall. If you are shipping, be realistic: sea freight typically runs six to ten weeks to Mombasa plus clearance and inland transport, which is exactly why furnished lets dominate the relocation market here.

If you are bringing a pet, the Directorate of Veterinary Services import permit, an accredited health certificate and rabies documentation need to be in motion by now.

Buy a Safaricom SIM with your passport at the airport or any shop, then register M-Pesa. Do this first — everything else in Nairobi runs through it.

Do the move-in inspection with the landlord present, photograph the inventory item by item, and confirm the meter reading. Set up prepaid electricity tokens and the fibre account in your name, and get the caretaker's and guard's numbers. Apply for your KRA PIN through the iTax portal; you will need it for a bank account, a car, and most contracts.

Open a bank account with your passport, KRA PIN, permit and proof of address. Sort transport: a car purchase takes longer than people expect, so budget for ride-hailing in the interim. If you are driving, check the requirements for converting or validating your licence.

Enrol the children, walk the school run at the actual hour, and use the weekend to visit two or three neighbourhoods you did not choose — it is the cheapest way to know whether you got it right.

These are the ones we see repeatedly:

• Paying a deposit before verifying ownership, usually under time pressure from abroad.
• Choosing a suburb by reputation rather than by drive time at 07:30 to the actual office or school.
• Assuming rent includes service charge — in Nairobi it frequently does not.
• Shipping furniture for a two-year posting when a furnished let costs less than the freight and the wait.
• Skipping the signed inventory, which is what deposit disputes turn on twelve months later.