Kenya will decide soon, perhaps even within the next week, whether to include mandatory health insurance for all foreign tourists planning to visit the country.
The government's idea is to conform to many Western countries that already deny entry to foreign tourists (in the case of the Schengen community to non-Europeans, as do France, Germany, Belgium and other nations, which does not include Italy) if they do not have adequate health coverage to protect them in case of illness or accident abroad.

The decision is supported by the fact that if tourists arrive without health insurance taken out in their country of residence, they are obliged to take out one in Kenya upon arrival, under the conditions provided by the Ministry of Health. This, in the government's intention, could bring in new revenue, given that visitor intake is between 1.5 million and 2 million a year.
The Kenyan parliament's health committee is currently considering the Social Health Insurance Bill, which also includes this amendment.

"A non-Kenyan person intending to enter the territory of Kenya for a period of less than 12 months shall be required to have travel health insurance coverage designated by the Ministry of Health," reads the report submitted to the House last week.
The proposal is within a larger design that promises to strengthen the entity that will replace the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). The public health insurer will be a major beneficiary of the new amendment, along with other approved private insurance companies. It is not yet known whether those who refuse to take out insurance will be turned away upon arrival or will have to pay a penalty.