Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) to the city

This information may change. Always check the official source.Last verified: September 2026 by Ondřej Kadlec

Most airport taxis do not use meters; agree the fare first, or use Uber and Bolt, which are cheaper and fix the price.

Many taxis at JKIA do not use meters. The fare is a negotiation, so agree it before you get in and before your luggage does.
Uber and Bolt both operate and are typically cheaper than the rank as well as fixed in advance.
Published estimates for a rank taxi into the centre disagree, from about KES 1,500 to 5,000, and the app is usually less - but confirm at the time.
There is a city bus, route 34, at around KES 50 to 100. It is very cheap, slow, and not designed for luggage.
Traffic is the dominant factor. Nairobi's congestion can turn a 20 km trip into two hours; the toll Nairobi Expressway has an entrance at JKIA and runs to Westlands.

Meters are not the norm at JKIA.
Agree the fare before the journey starts, and before your bag goes in the boot.
Published estimates disagree: from about KES 1,500 to 5,000 into the central business district by rank taxi.
Have the number in mind before you walk out. Arriving without one is how the price goes up.

Both operate in Nairobi and are widely used by residents.
They are typically cheaper than the rank and the price is fixed in the app.
Pick-up is from a designated area rather than the arrivals kerb.
This is the simplest answer for most arrivals and removes the negotiation entirely.

Route 34 runs between JKIA and the city centre for around KES 50 to 100.
It is extremely cheap and correspondingly basic - crowded, slow, and not built for suitcases.
Reckon on 60 to 90 minutes.
Worth it with a backpack and time; not worth it after a long-haul flight with hold baggage.

Nairobi's congestion is severe and unpredictable.
A 20 km journey can take well over an hour, sometimes two.
Leave far more time for a departure than the distance suggests. This is the most common way people get caught out here.

Wilson Airport (WIL) handles the light aircraft to the Masai Mara and the other parks, and it is a separate airport on the other side of the city. If your safari starts with a flight from Wilson, allow real time to cross Nairobi.

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Getting from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to the city