Smokers flying through Kenya get an official airside smoking lounge at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International — the Burgundy Lounge, near Gate 14 in Terminal 1B — plus designated outdoor areas landside. Kenya’s Tobacco Control Act 2007 explicitly permits designated smoking areas at airports. The one thing to know: a 2025 import ban makes bringing a vape risky.
Kenya Airports Compared: Before and After Security
Before security, you can always smoke outside: at a designated smoking area where there is one, or outside the airport property, beyond the terminal kerb and car parks. After security, Yes means there is a smoking area past security and a dash means none is listed. Each airport’s page has the details.
| Airport | Before security | After security |
|---|---|---|
| Mombasa (MBA) | Yes | – |
| Nairobi (NBO) | Yes | Yes |
For international travel through Kenya, Nairobi (NBO) is the main gateway, one of East Africa’s biggest hubs.
How Kenyan Airport Smoking Works
Kenya’s Tobacco Control Act 2007 (Section 33) permits designated smoking areas at airports and transport terminals, subject to compliance standards:
- Nairobi provides an official airside smoking lounge (the Burgundy Lounge) plus outdoor designated areas
- Smoking elsewhere in the terminal is prohibited and can be fined
- Vaping is largely unregulated for use; Kenya banned the import of all tobacco and nicotine products (including vapes) from 30 July 2025 — customs may confiscate devices on arrival
The Hub
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO). Kenya’s main gateway and Kenya Airways’ hub, one of the biggest in East Africa. The Burgundy Lounge near Gate 14, in Terminal 1B beside Java House, is the airport’s official designated smoking lounge — airside, after security, so transit passengers are covered. A second smoking lounge is signposted off the corridor toward Gates 1–5, by the airline lounges; travellers described a smoking room on the lower level near Gates 22–24 between 2020 and 2023. Outdoor designated areas are available landside, including outside the Terminal 1E arrivals hall.
Mombasa: Moi International Airport (MBA)
Kenya’s second airport, the gateway for the coast’s beach resorts and the southern safari circuit. Designated outdoor smoking areas are available landside, outside Terminal 1 (international) and Terminal 2 (domestic); neither terminal publishes an airside smoking facility.
Tips for Smokers at Kenyan Airports
- Nairobi has an airside smoking lounge (Burgundy, Gate 14) — you don’t need to clear immigration to smoke on a layover
- Most airline lounges are non-smoking — use the dedicated smoking lounge instead
- Do not bring a vape to Kenya — the July 2025 import ban means customs may seize devices and e-liquid
- Smoking outside designated areas can draw a fine