(Posted 04th November 2026)
Saudi Arabia has announced additional precautionary measures against the spread of Ebola, including restrictions affecting travel to and from Kenya.
the measures include three main areas of restrictions:
Saudi citizens are, until further notice, prohibited from traveling to Kenya.
Saudi Arabia has suspended the issuance of all visas to individuals arriving from Kenya.
Travelers arriving from Kenya or through third countries are barred from entering Saudi Arabia if they have stayed in Kenya, or another country experiencing an active Ebola outbreak, during the preceding 21 days.
The third restriction is especially important to international visitors as for instance American travelers who have visited Kenya within the previous 21 days could also encounter entry restrictions when heading to Saudi Arabia, even when connecting through another country.
Kenya in turn has, through diplomatic channels, protested the measures taken, but as has been the case in Uganda in the past, this will not likely bear any results until the Saudi government eventually decides to lift the restrictions.
Kuwait, Madagascar and El Salvador have also announced similar measures affecting individuals traveling there and coming from Kenya or having visited Kenya during the past 21 days.
Meanwhile was it learned that earlier this week more than 300 Kenyan jobseekers were repatriated and returned to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport after Saudi Arabian authorities blocked their entry over Ebola-related restrictions.
The restrictions have placed Kenya alongside Uganda, South Sudan and the DRC even though no cases are known in Uganda and South Sudan. Notably do no such restrictions presently exist for Nigeria, where more recently an Ebola case of a traveler coming from East Africa was confirmed.
