SIM or eSIM on Arrival in Kenya: What to Choose

Why it matters in Kenya

Kenya runs on mobile money. M-Pesa pays for fuel, parking, lunch, matatus and tips, and many small shops prefer it to cards. Maps, WhatsApp and ride apps all need data. So a working phone is not a luxury here: it is how you pay and how you find your way.

Option 1: a travel eSIM (data only)

An eSIM is a digital SIM card that you download instead of inserting. Travel eSIM apps sell data-only plans for Kenya:

• Airalo, which runs on Safaricom's network.
• Holafly, which runs on Airtel Kenya's network.
• Saily and others.

How it works: buy and install the eSIM at home on Wi-Fi before you fly, then switch it on when you land. Your usual number stays on your phone, so WhatsApp keeps working on it.

What you do not get: a Kenyan phone number, local calls and texts, or M-Pesa. Prices and plans change often, so compare them on the day you buy.

Option 2: a Safaricom SIM or eSIM (number, data and M-Pesa)

Safaricom is Kenya's largest network and the home of M-Pesa. To use M-Pesa you need a Safaricom line registered in your name; foreign visitors register with a passport. SIM cards are sold in the JKIA arrivals area, and Safaricom shops across Nairobi sell SIMs and, subject to availability, eSIMs. Registration is done in person, so allow some time for the queue.

Kenyans who kept their Safaricom line active while abroad can simply keep using it: M-Pesa works on it as before.

Option 3: Airtel Kenya

Airtel Kenya also offers SIMs and eSIMs, registered in person with your passport. It is a good second network, and some visitors carry one Safaricom and one Airtel line for better coverage upcountry. M-Pesa is Safaricom's; Airtel has its own mobile money service.

Does my phone support eSIM?

• The phone must support eSIM and be unlocked by your home carrier.
• Dial *#06#: if an EID number shows, your phone supports eSIM.
• Or look in your phone's settings under mobile or cellular data.

Our suggestion

• Install a travel eSIM before you fly, for data at JKIA.
• If you will be in Kenya for more than a few days, or want to pay like a local, get a Safaricom line too.
• Save our WhatsApp number before you leave home.

Reaching your driver at JKIA with no Kenyan SIM

You do not need a Kenyan number to find us. The evening before you land, we send your driver's name and number on WhatsApp. When you land, connect to the airport Wi-Fi and message your driver, or our 24/7 line, on WhatsApp. If you are held up at immigration or baggage, a quick message lets us know; we track your flight anyway. Your driver waits in the arrivals hall with a sign bearing your name. See our airport promise and how JKIA car hire works.

Paying for your hire car

You can pay for the car by M-Pesa, bank transfer or cash, before or at delivery, and our team can send a secure card payment link if you prefer a card. No Safaricom line yet? Pay by bank transfer before you land, or by card link. Our guide to paying for car hire from abroad explains each option.

Kenyans visiting home

If you still have a Safaricom line from before you moved abroad, check before you fly that it is still active: lines that have not been used for a long time can be switched off and the number given to someone else. If yours is still live, top it up on arrival and M-Pesa works as before. If it has lapsed, a Safaricom shop can help with your ID.

In the car

• Mount your phone; do not hold it while driving.
• Download offline maps of Nairobi in Google Maps before you leave Wi-Fi.
• Every car we rent has GPS tracking, so if you are ever lost or stuck, call us and we can see where the car is.

Choose your car, from a Toyota Harrier for a couple to a Mazda CX-8 for a family, and see how to book. Our first-timer's guide to JKIA arrivals covers the rest of the airport.