Drones are revolutionizing how we work, learn, and play—from capturing breathtaking aerial photography to transforming education, farming, construction, and emergency response. However, with great power comes great responsibility—and that means complying with drone regulations set by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA).

If you're a drone pilot, STEM educator, hobbyist, or commercial drone operator, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know about drone laws, licensing requirements, registration, and flight permissions in Kenya.

Why the Drones regulations matters

Regulation ensures:

1. Safe integration of drones into national airspace. 
2. Protection of public safety, privacy, and security. 
3. Opportunities for structured training and certification. 
4. Growth of the drone industry in a responsible and sustainable way.

In Kenya, drone use is governed under the Civil Aviation (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) Regulations, 2020, which applies to all drone activities within the country's borders (see more details on this regulation here).

Who needs a Drone License ?

Kenya Civil Aviation Authority categorizes drone use into three main purposes:

• Recreation: flying for personal fun and not any commercial benefits.
• Commercial: flying for business. This category houses survey & mapping, agriculture, photography, surveillance and so on.
• Institutional or Research use: use by schools, universities or NGOs for research and development.

How to get a Remote Pilot License in Kenya ?

• Undergo Aviation Medical Assessment: Aviation is really big on safety and one of the measure undertaken is to see whether personnel working in aviation are physically & mentally fit to fly and operate. Same case goes for unmanned aviation. One is required to undergo a Class III Medical Examination from an Approved Medical Examiner (AME), see more here.
• Train with a KCAA-Approved UAS Training Organization (UTO): Enroll in a certified drone training program that offers theoretical and practical flight training. KCAA will only authorise an issue of an RPL if training was done in any of the approved UTOs. You can learn more here.
• Get Theoretical & Practical Training: A candidate is required to pass an array of theory examinations in subjects such as Airlaw & Procedures, Navigation, Battery Procedures, Meteorology etc. For practical training, the candidate must achieve a minimum of 5 hours training under an instructor, have a Letter of Recommendation from the Instructor and finally have a Skill Test from a KCAA approved Designated Flight Examiner (DFE)

Once you are compliant with the above, you can then submit your application to KCAA RPAS department either via their ICAAS portal or email for processing of the Remote Pilot License.

Registering your Drone

All drones—regardless of use— must be registered with KCAA. Registration gives you a unique UAS Identification Number (UIN). Once registered, you will be awarded with a Certificate of Registration (COR). Think of this in the same way you have a logbook for your vehicle. According to KCARs 2020, those elligible to own drones in Kenya are: 

• Kenyan citizens or permanent residents in Kenya, above 18 years of age.
• A body corporate/organization/association with its principal place of business in Kenya.
• A County Goverment or the National Government.

The process of registering drones in Kenya is pretty simple:

• Open a ROMS (RPAS Operations Management System) Account and have it activated.
• Open an ICAAS Account - this will allow you to transact and make payments to KCAA for the invoices issued.
• Have your ROMS account linked to your ICAAS Account. You can then load money into your account for payment of the COR.
• You can then proceed to Registration on the ROMS site and fill out the details of your drone. You will also be required to attach some necessary documents such as Import Permit, Police Clearance Certificate, National ID or Passport, CR12, Tax Compliance Certificate etc, depending on the nature of the applicant.
• Once that is done, you sit back and wait for the Certificate of Registration. It will contain a UIN which will be the CALLSIGN of your Drone.

NB: There are KCAA approved resellers of drones. Make sure you buy drones from them because they would have gone through the correct process to purchase and locally resell the drone to you. If it is an import, they should process an import permit for you to allow importation of the drone. As a disclaimer, once it is imported, hand it over to KRA Customs to clear it. Failure to do the aforementioned may lead to your drone being confiscated.

Your can consult a list of approved resellers here.