Guiding tours in Nairobi
This page is here to help give you a starting point to find out about some of the obligations that may apply to you if you decide to host Trips or Experiences on Airbnb. It’s for your information only and includes summaries of some of the rules that may apply to different sorts of activities, and contain links to official resources that you may find helpful.
Please understand that these information pages are not comprehensive, and are not legal advice. If you are unsure about how local laws or this information may apply to you or your Experience, we encourage you to check with official sources or seek legal advice.
Please note that we don’t update this information in real time, so you should confirm that the law has not changed recently.*
When am I likely to be considered a tour guide?
The Tourism Act 2011 regulates a wide range of tourism activities and services, which include tour or safari operators, boat operators and citizen tour leaders or guides. The full list of regulated activities is set out in the Ninth Schedule of that act.
Do I need to register or get a licence to be a tour guide? How do I get the licence?
Yes. If your activity is covered by the Tourism Act 2011, you will need to apply to the Tourism Regulatory Authority for a licence. You can find out more information about how to do this here.
If you are not sure about whether your activity is regulated by the Tourism Act 2011, we recommend that you contact the Tourism Regulatory Authority.
You should be aware of potential criminal offences for failure to comply with the licensing requirements under the Tourism Act 2011, which may include financial penalties and the possibility of a custodial sentence.
Is there anything else I should think about?
If your experience will also involve serving or providing alcohol or food or involves other activities, additional rules are likely to apply. We recommend that you take a look at the other topics in the Activity-specific licensing requirements and that you do your own research and contact the Nairobi County Government to find out what other rules might apply to your activity.
We recommend you also read our other information pages on Could I be a Business?. If you’re in any doubt, we recommend you get in touch with your accountant or legal advisor to find out whether you're operating as a business.
*Airbnb is not responsible for the reliability or correctness of the information contained in any links to third party sites (including any links to legislation and regulations).