Is Flying a Drone Legal in Kenya?

Do I need a licence to fly a drone in Kenya?

It depends on what you're doing:

• Learning on a simulator or in a classroom — no licence needed. No aircraft is in the air, so the UAS operating rules aren't triggered.
• Flying a real drone recreationally — you must operate within the safety rules below and register the drone, but a personal pilot licence isn't required for basic recreational categories.
• Flying commercially (getting paid) — you need a Remote Pilot Licence (RPL), and the operation typically needs a Remote Operator Certificate (ROC).

The four KCAA approvals that matter

A key point that surprises people: you cannot legally provide practical flight training without KCAA authorization. Real-flight instruction must run through a KCAA-approved training organisation (ATO). Simulator and theory classes are fine to run independently.

The standing safety rules (they apply to everyone)

• Maximum height 400 ft (120 m) above ground level.
• Daylight, and within visual line of sight (VLOS) by default.
• FPV needs a visual observer. Because FPV goggles take your eyes off the drone, a trained visual observer is mandatory on every FPV flight.
• No flying in airport or airstrip zones (e.g. Wilson, JKIA) or over restricted/prohibited areas without authorisation.
• No flying over crowds or people not involved in the operation.
• Third-party liability insurance is mandatory for operations.
• Night flying, beyond-line-of-sight (BVLOS), and flights near aerodromes each need specific KCAA approval.

Do I need to register my drone?

Yes. Drones must be registered with KCAA. And critically for anyone importing gear: you need a KCAA import permit before shipping a drone or drone parts into Kenya — FPV kits, "whoop" micro-drones and video transmitters included. Customs will hold unpermitted drones. You should also check the Communications Authority (CA) position on 5.8 GHz video transmitters and ELRS radio gear.

How FPV fits into all this

FPV is fully legal in Kenya when flown to the same rules, with the added VLOS-observer requirement above. The safe, compliant way to get into it is to build your skills on a simulator first (no rules triggered), learn the regulations in ground school, and then fly real drones under the supervision of a KCAA-approved organisation. That's exactly the structure of a proper FPV training programme.

How DroneVerse stays compliant

DroneVerse FPV Academy runs its simulator and ground-school phases in-house (no KCAA training approval needed for those), and delivers the real-flight phase under the approvals of a KCAA-approved training partner, with certified instructors and trained observers. Our Foundations certificate is a preparation pathway toward the KCAA RPL — the licence itself is issued only through an approved organisation, and we guide graduates along that route. New to all this? Start with our guide on how to become an FPV drone pilot in Kenya.