Study in Kenya. Updated November 2026. 4 min read.
Every foreign researcher who collects data in Kenya needs a research licence from NACOSTI, the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation. Since October 1, 2026, the licence costs foreign applicants $300 to $750 depending on their level, and $1,000 for clinical trials. Here is the process, the timeline and the affiliations that make it work.
If your students or faculty will interview people, run surveys, take samples or count animals, plan on four things: an affiliation with a Kenyan institution, ethics approval for any work involving people, the NACOSTI licence itself, and separate clearances for parks, counties and any export of samples. Start at least six months before fieldwork, and longer for anything involving patients. A course that only visits sites and hears lectures is generally an educational visit, not research; our field research page explains that line and how we run field courses on the ground.
NACOSTI licence fees from October 2026
| Category, foreign applicants | Standard fee | Expedited fee |
|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate | $300 | $400 |
| Master's | $400 | $500 |
| PhD | $500 | $600 |
| Post-doctoral or non-academic | $750 | $850 |
| Clinical trials | $1,000 | $1,100 |
What you need before you apply
Applications go through NACOSTI's online research portal, linked from the commission's website. The portal lists the current document set, and it changes from time to time, but a complete application usually includes the following.
- A research proposal: objectives, methods, study sites and the counties you will work in
- An affiliation letter from a Kenyan institution, usually a university or research institute, confirming it will host and supervise the work
- Ethics approval from an accredited Kenyan ethics review committee for any research involving people, in addition to your own IRB
- Identification documents and, for students, a letter from the home institution
- Payment of the licence fee through the portal
The fieldwork timeline
| When | What happens | Why it takes time |
|---|---|---|
| 9 to 12 months out | Find a Kenyan affiliate and a co-investigator; agree data sharing and authorship | Good affiliations are relationships, not paperwork |
| 6 to 9 months out | Home IRB approval; submit to a Kenyan ethics committee | Kenyan review is separate and can ask for changes |
| 4 to 6 months out | Apply to NACOSTI with proposal, affiliation letter and ethics approval | Processing takes weeks to months; expedited review costs $100 more |
| 2 to 4 months out | Wildlife, county and sample-export clearances; immigration pass for long stays | Each authority has its own process |
| On arrival | Report to the county offices named on your licence; community entry with local leaders | Fieldwork starts with introductions, not data |
Ethics review in Kenya
Research with people needs approval from an ethics committee accredited in Kenya, often based at a university or hospital. Your home IRB approval does not replace it, and Kenyan committees may ask for consent forms in Kiswahili or a local language, community-level consent, and plans for sharing results with participants. Clinical research has its own additional approvals, which is one reason clinical trials sit in the highest fee band. Build the Kenyan review into your schedule from the start rather than treating it as a formality.
Parks, wildlife and field stations
Research inside national parks and reserves, or on wildlife anywhere, needs clearance from Kenya's wildlife authorities on top of the NACOSTI licence. The Kenya Wildlife Service manages the parks, and the Wildlife Research and Training Institute now handles much of the wildlife research approval process; your affiliate will confirm which applies to your project. Private and community conservancies have their own research protocols and fees, and you agree those with each conservancy directly.
Field stations make all of this easier. The Mpala Research Centre in Laikipia hosts visiting researchers and university classes, with accommodation, labs and long-running ecological studies, and other conservancies in Laikipia and the Mara run research programs of their own. A station with an established relationship to Kenyan institutions can often advise on affiliation and permits.
Counties and community entry
Kenya has 47 counties, and research licences commonly require you to report to the county commissioner and the county director of education, or other county offices, in each county where you work. Plan a morning for those visits. Then comes community entry: introductions to the local chief, elders and community leaders before you start. It is courtesy, it is expected, and studies that skip it run into trouble.
Visas: a research licence is not a work permit
The NACOSTI licence lets you do research; it does not give you the right to stay or work in Kenya. Short trips are usually made on the eTA, applied for online, but researchers staying for a long field season generally need an immigration pass from the Department of Immigration Services, applied for through eCitizen, with supporting letters from the affiliate. Paid work in Kenya needs a work permit. Ask your affiliate which pass fits your project before you book flights.
Samples, drones and data
- Biological samples: exporting samples needs its own permits and usually a material transfer agreement with your Kenyan affiliate; arrange this before you collect
- Drones: regulated by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, and flying in parks or reserves needs separate permission; our drones page has the rules
- Personal data: Kenya's Data Protection Act 2019 applies to survey answers, recordings and photos of people
- Results: share findings with the communities and institutions that hosted you; it is often a licence condition and always good practice
How we support research groups
We do not issue or guarantee permits, and we will not apply on your behalf. What we do is plan the ground around them: vehicles that handle rough tracks, field camps or lodges near your sites, power for equipment, county visits built into the schedule, rangers for work on foot in wildlife areas, and a realistic budget. If your faculty lead or students are new to Kenya, we can introduce you to institutions we work with that host visiting researchers, once they have agreed to it.
