Safety in Kenya (Nairobi)?

It's interesting you raised this specific question, as I personally just cancelled a work trip to Nairobi this week, but that was due to fears of being stranded on the way home due to air space closures, flight disruptions, etc. I have absolutely no concerns about safety in Nairobi itself, and wouldn't hesitate to reschedule my trip for a short time in the future.

I've been to Nairobi about a dozen times and never felt unsafe travelling to or from the airport alone. I always get a car- normally from the hotel. While none of us can predict the future, it doesn't seem likely now that events in the Middle East will have any impact on Kenya. When are you thinking of going?

If you are looking for things to do in Nairobi, some of my favourites are: David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Langata Giraffe Centre, the Nairobi National Park (altho if you're going on safari after, this may not be the best use of your time), and the National Museum. The national museum in Nairobi is the best one I've been to in Africa.

Kenya is a beautiful country and a lovely place to visit- I hope you have a wonderful time.

We did a great safari with Good Earth Tours (located in Tanzania) that included two nights in Nairobi (one full day to tour) as well as three days in the Masa Mari (Kenya) on safari, then six days in Tanzania (Serengeti, and more).

The safari was great. Our tour guide took us to visit some places in Nairobi, which was good. Not sure I would spend much more time there. Personally, I would not go out on our own in Nairobi. Everywhere we went, you could see residences with high walls and barbed wire on top. It would be best down with a tour guide.

One thing, our flight into East Africa and out was with Qatar Airlines. I would not want to fly through Qatar now.
If. you had a direct flight from Europe or North America, no problem.

Thank you both, Cat and GeovaG, for your helpful replies. Cat, I appreciate the recommendations on things to do in Nairobi. Do you usually take a taxi from the hotel when you go out, or do you have a guide?

Our trip is planned for late May to early June. So long as we can get appropriate flights (not through Doha or Dubai, etc), I think we will do it!

All my trips to Nairobi have been for work (though I have extended trips for personal travel as well), so I've always gone out either in a taxi or with a driver from my local office. They have Uber in Nairobi and it's very reliable- in fact that was the first place I ever used it.

Something that's common to do in Nairobi and many other major cities in Africa is to form a relationship with a taxi driver over the time you are visiting, so that you can take their number and text them when you need to be collected etc. Most drivers are very happy to do this and it makes things easier for you as well. Most use WhatsApp so you just need to ensure you have access to data on your phone while in Kenya.

Thank you again, Cat!

I strongly recommend not trying to do Nairobi on your own. Our tour included a guide and we enjoyed it.
However, the city has a lot of areas that I would NOT want to go without some local security .

We did the Odysseys Unlimited Classic Safari a couple of years ago and you can read my trip report on the forum here:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/expect-the-unexpected-our-african-safari.

We stayed in a walled compound in Nairobi with fairly high security and were told to never travel outside of the hotel without using a taxi. The political situation in Nairobi at the time of our travel was a bit unsettled to say the least and there were some fraught events on our trip but everything turned out fine in the end. I would also suggest arranging for the hotel to send a car to pick you up at the airport.

Any time we travel to a country beyond Europe, I research the current events in that country to assess our personal safety and this trip was no exception. What the current situation is in Nairobi, I have no idea so do your own homework.

Thanks to all who have replied here!

We actually finished our visit to Kenya several weeks ago, and it was terrific. I did as suggested, and arranged a car pickup from our Nairobi hotel, though I think an Uber would have also been okay. There was high security at the hotel, and we felt very safe. I took one private tour around the city, which was fine. And then it was soon time for our planned safari.

The safari company we used was Wild Source, and they were outstanding at every step. They’re a Colorado outfit started and run by a wildlife biologist who has done research there and who really cares about the animals and the communities, and they have a local office in Tanzania if I’m right. I could go on and on about the safari and our fantastic experience with WS and their amazing guides, partners on the ground, etc., but it’s off topic, so I’ll leave it at that.

Enjoy your travels, everyone!