Saudi Travel Ban Kenya Row: Kenya Pushes Back Against Ebola Travel Rules

Kenya is in a travel row with Saudi Arabia over Ebola rules, and thousands of workers, students and pilgrims are caught in the middle.

What Saudi Arabia changed

On Friday, October 30, 2026, Saudi Arabia announced sweeping new restrictions through the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) after an assessment by its Public Health Authority, Weqaya.

The rules are:
- No travel for Saudi citizens to Kenya - Saudi citizens are barred from travelling to Kenya.
- All visa types stopped for Kenya travellers - Saudi Arabia halted issuance of all visas for travellers arriving from Kenya. This includes work visas, family visit visas, business visas, Umrah and Hajj visas.
- 21-day entry ban - No entry into the Kingdom for anyone who has been in Kenya or any other Ebola-affected country in the 21 days before arrival, even if they transit through a third country like UAE or Ethiopia.

Weqaya said the health situation inside Saudi Arabia remains stable and under continuous monitoring, but the measures were needed to reduce import risk.

This is not the first ban. Saudi Arabia had already in June 2026 suspended travel to and from Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan over the same Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak. El Salvador and the US have also introduced screening or inadmissibility rules for travellers from Kenya in the last week.

The ban hits hard. On Monday, November 2, 2026, 350 Kenyan workers with valid work visas were denied entry and forced back home after spending four days stranded at Sharjah Airport in UAE before landing at JKIA Nairobi at 1:30pm.

Kenya confirmed its first imported Ebola case on October 6, 2026 - a Kenyan man who travelled from DRC through Uganda. Since then Kenya has reported nine confirmed cases and two deaths as of October 31.

What Kenya is saying back

Kenya says the Saudi move is excessive.

In a diplomatic note on October 30, 2026, the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs said:

"While Kenya acknowledges the right of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to implement health measures... the measures against Kenya are disproportionate and not supported by scientific health evidence."

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said on October 31 that Kenya has contained the outbreak:
- All infections are linked to one imported cluster, no community transmission
- 135 contacts traced, 118 in quarantine
- First 20 contacts discharged on October 26 after 21 days, 46 more expected to leave on November 3
- No new infection since October 19 - 10 days without a new case as of October 30
- Five of seven patients in treatment have tested negative once and await second test on November 2

Kenya also asked Saudi Arabia to submit its scientific justification to WHO under Regulation 43 of International Health Regulations (2005) within 48 hours, and to review within 3 months.

The Africa CDC backed Kenya on November 1. Director General Jean Kaseya praised Kenya for notifying WHO within 24 hours of lab confirmation and said broad travel bans hurt outbreak control and discourage transparency.

What it means for travellers

If you are in Kenya and planning Saudi travel:

1. Your visa will not be issued now - Even if you have an appointment, issuance is suspended indefinitely until Saudi reviews epidemiological data.
2. The 21-day rule applies to everyone - Even Nigerians or Ghanaians who transited through Nairobi in the last 21 days are barred. It is based on travel history, not nationality.
3. Check before you fly - The ban has no end date. Confirm with Saudi Embassy Nairobi and your airline. Kenyan workers heading to Saudi should pause travel to avoid being stranded.

For Kenya-Saudi traffic - workers, pilgrims, students - this means delays and lost income until the outbreak is officially over.