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Firstly, I think that what someone would regard as 'essentials' depends upon where you are coming from.

I come from the UK and in my opinion, there is very little that I can't get here in Kenya, but sometimes at a high price!

Food; (bearing in mind that I live outside Nairobi) Its difficult to find items such as smoked salmon, Marmite, fresh cream, semi skimmed milk, strong white flour.  Iam aware that such items are available, but you might have to hunt for them.  UK breakfast cereals cost several times the UK prices, so I avoid them.

Vitamins;  my wife takes and boy are they costly!

Soaps, shower gels, cosmetics;  we can buy everything we use in Kenya. My wife likes MAC, which is available in Nairobi. We also like Dr Organic products, which are actually a bit cheaper in Kenya, than in the UK.  If you like 'Body Shop' stuff, this isn't easy to find.

Electricals; TV, fridges, freezers, washing machines, cookers, food mixers, irons etc are all readily available in Kenya. Prices are about the same, or lower than in the UK.  When we moved our household items in 2004, we brought all the electrical items with us. However we had a duty free container. I would recommend that (if one is self funding) the cost of shipping doesn't exceed the cost of just buying what you need here.   If you want things like the latest Apple products.....better bring them with you, as there is quite a lag on release dates in Kenya.

It is challenging to get a decent vacuum cleaner in Kenya.  It's also quite difficult to find a decent ironing board, but they are available here and there.

Vehicles;  its very costly to buy a vehicle in Kenya, so if yours is right hand drive and less than 8 years old, it's worth considering importing it.  Duty may or may not apply, depending on status/reason for entry.  However, for diesels, emissions equipment such as particulate filters cannot cope with the Kenyan conditions.  Rare or unusual models can be difficult to service.  Concerning vehicle spares, there are many fakes on the market, so importing these may be worth considering.

Bicycles: not easy to get a good quality cycle, in Kenya, particularly for children. Many suppliers seem to stock poor quality Chinese products that fall to pieces rather quickly.

Hi Christine,

I basically agree with Longonot, it really depends from where you're coming from.

We're based in Kilifi (on the coast) and coming from Italy for me and my family has been difficult to adapt to the local available products. Especially for food if we want the quality we're accustomed to, the price for imported stuff from Italy are very high.

We finally adapted though and we're trying to cope by making what we can by ourselves.
Pasta and bread for example we prepare once a week and freeze (ok, not every week indeed...) or breakfast cereals we do very simply in our oven with locally available products, a bit of grains, fruits, honey and sometime rough brow sugar and voilà, cheap and you know what you're eating!

For some items like fish and meat it's just a matter of scouting around to find the most reliable seller.

Household stuff is abundantly available at the Nakumat stores.

And for some other items we simply gave up, we're in a different country and in our opinion we should adapt to it rather than think that everything we're accustomed to should be available everywhere.

I think that Robert has made a very good point.  If you have made a decision to move to a different country, then part of 'the experience' perhaps ought to be around embracing the local culture and foods, rather than complaining that you can't get (whatever) that you enjoyed at home. 

If you really can't adapt and live without, then perhaps Kenya really isn't for you!!!

Hallo,
I totally agree with the comments before. I'm Italian too and of course for us the most challenging part is food related. But I've discovered more the Italian cousine here then when I was in Italy because you are "forced" to make foods that usually are ready in supermarkets (not only bread but tomato paste, cheese and more).
For women I would recommend transparent/skin colour stockings (I didn't find yet the right colour and a good quality here in Nairobi).
Anything else in nakumat and various mall you can find anything (of course depend on the budget). Something really useful are plastic shoes (I use ballerinas) that are perfect to walk around (I went almost everywhere from upcountry to slums) and then just need to be washed.

Then let be surprised from yourself, use your creativity and be open.

Carrefour is going to open at The Hub mall in Karen, so you will find many items there which you can't get in with other retailers.

I used to live in Nairobi and could find all the essentials there. Of course, there is a different selection of things and foods might taste a little different, but it is easy to adapt to. Nakumatt has everything-some are bigger than others. I've found that the one up in Gigiri caters to the expat crowd (UN is nearby) and carries more imported products. For anyone with special dietary needs, HealthyU is a great option.

Thomaspcherian wrote:

Carrefour is going to open at The Hub mall in Karen, so you will find many items there which you can't get in with other retailers.

Thank you!

Wow, Healthy You is also v expensive......you need deep pockets to shop there!!

Its not that easy to manage special dietary needs in Kenya. Most of the foods will be imported and only available in upmarket malls.

On the other hand, it is relatively easy to change ones diet to eat a 'traditional' rather than 'western' diet.  Its worth trying.....we eat a lot of greens, maize meal, simple stews etc. I feel much healthier.

It is strange that wealthier Kenyans who tend to eat a more western diet seem to be showing signs of problems such as obesity, cancers etc.