IAESTE KENYA
IAESTE KENYA TRAVEL DOCUMENT
Taking Technical and Cultural Exchange Beyond Kenyan Borders”
IAESTE KENYA
IAESTE KENYA
Run by students for students at Jomo
Kenyatta University of Agriculture and
Technology (JKUAT) in Technical,
science and engineering courses from all
over the world.
Our mission is to take technical and
cultural exchange beyond Kenyan
Borders
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IAESTE KENYA
ABOUT JUJA
Juja is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of four constituencies in Thika District.
It is located 36 kilometers northeast of Nairobi, along Nairobi-Thika Highway. It lies
between Thika and Nairobi with Nairobi being the capital city of Kenya.
Thika is an industrial town in Central Province, Kenya, lying on the A2 road 40 kilometers
(25 mi) north east of Nairobi. It is the next town after Juja and only 10Km from Juja.
Thika has a population of 200,000 and is growing rapidly, as is the entire greater Nairobi
area.
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also
form the Nairobi County. Inhabitants of Nairobi are referred to as Nairobians, and the
city is governed by the County Government of Nairobi. Nairobi is the most populous city
in East Africa, with a current estimated population of about 3 million. Nairobi is now one
of the most prominent cities in Africa both politically and financially.
ACCOMODATION
Accommodation
IAESTE exchange interns are accommodated within the premises of Jomo Kenyatta
University of Agriculture and Technology, Juja campus. An intern is accommodated with
his fellow exchange interns in an intern house. The rent will cost Ksh 7000 per month.
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IAESTE KENYA
This caters for house rent, water, electricity and gas. Repair and maintenance fee is
inclusive.
TIME
Time
Kenya is situated in the East Africa Time Zone (EAT). Kenya Standard Time is 3 hours
ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+3). Kenya does not utilize daylight saving time.
Once you land at the airport remember to adjust your time.
ELECTRICITY
Electricity
Electricity in Kenya is between 220 and 240 volts, alternating at 50 cycles per second. If you
travel to Kenya with a device that does not accept 240 Volts at 50 Hertz, you will need a
voltage converter and an adapter that fits the plug sockets in Kenya.
Electrical sockets (outlets) in Kenya are the "Type G" British BS-1363 type. If your appliance's
plug doesn't match the shape of these sockets, you will need a travel plug adapter in order to
plug in. Travel plug adapters simply change the shape of your appliance's plug to match
whatever type of socket you need to plug into.
Adapter for "Type G" British BS-1363
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IAESTE KENYA
Adapters are readily available at a cheap price from the supermarkets.
T ELEPHONE
Telephone
Kenya has an extensive mobile phone network. There are four mobile phone providers in
Kenya i.e. Safaricom, Airtel, Yu and Orange
Mobile.
To call Kenya from other countries,
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IAESTE KENYA
Country Code: +254
subscribers must dial their international
access code e.g. 00 for most European
countries,
International Call Prefix: 000
Trunk Prefix: 0
And 011 from North America, followed by the
country code 254. The international access code
for calls from Kenya is 000.
It is useful to bring your mobile phone with you. You can get SIM card for less than Ksh100
in order to be able to make cheap local calls during your stay. If your cell phone doesn’t
support at least GSM 900/1800 standard, you can buy a cheap one locally for Ksh2000.
Every SIM card has to be registered as per the Communication Commission of Kenya law
thus once you purchase remember to use your passport for registration.
INTERNET
Internet
There are many cyber cafes in the major shopping areas in Nairobi. They charge per minute
at a very reasonable rate.
In the school vicinity, WIFI exists at certain hot spots, this include:
•
The main Engineering Building
•
The Library
•
The University Pavilion
•
College of Pure and Applied Science (COPAS)
•
Technology house
•
And every building within the campus
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IAESTE KENYA
It is more advisable to buy a modem from the major internet providers because of reliability
and better speeds. LAN ports are available all you need is just a cable.
MONE Y
The Kenyan currency is called Kenyan Shillings i.e. KSH or KES... Where 1Ksh = 100Cents.
The coins used are in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20, 40 shillings. The bank notes used are
50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 shillings.
Exchange Rates
1Euro = Ksh 117
1Sterling Pound = Ksh 137
1Dollar = Ksh 88
1JPY = Ksh 1
1NOK = Ksh 15
(Note: The figures are rounded off to the nearest shilling)
ACCEPTED HERE
Forex Bureaus and Currency
Exchange points can be found at the
Airport, within the City or in
Banks.
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IAESTE KENYA
Due to the ever fluctuating forex market, please visit www.centralbank.go.ke before
travelling so as to confirm the exchange rates.
Purchasing every commodity in Kenya incurs a Value added tax of 16%.
BUSINESS HOURS
Most businesses within Juja and its environs (Thika Town and Nairobi City) operate within
the 8 am and 5 pm time frame with the exception of a few.
Major shopping malls can have extended opening hours up to 11pm.
Most shops will remain closed on Sunday apart from a few fast food places and cafes.
We have some 24/7 shopping centers that provide services all round the clock e.g. Lifestyle
and Ukay shopping malls. (In Nairobi)
Banks have very strict timing and most of them open from 9am up to 4pm.
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ESTE KENYA
SHOPPING
MAASAI MARKET
One of the best experiences for any Safari goers in Kenya is to visit the renowned Maasai
Market. These are open air markets where travelers and locals alike can find all manner of
African souvenirs to carry home. Curios, paintings, drawings, clothes, fabrics with indigenous
East African prints, jewelry and wood carvings all hand made by local artisans. The market
moves around the city as follows:
Tuesday: Westgate Shopping Mall - Westlands
Wednesday: Capital Centre - Mombasa Road
Thursday: Nakumatt Junction - Ngong Road
Friday: Village Market - Gigiri
Saturday: High Court - Town Centre
Sunday: Yaya Centre - Hurlingham


For more info visit: www.themaasaimarket.com 
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All market days run from 8am – 6pm 
SHOPPING MALLS
Juja is very close to Nairobi therefore you can access a variety of shopping malls and supermarkets.
Some of the supermarkets include: Tuskys, Nakumatt, Naivas and Uchumi.
Malls are located all around town and are exciting places to do shopping as well 
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IAESTE KENYA
Pubs, Bars and Cafes
Pubs
andalso
Bars
The
malls
provide for excellent eateries with a diverse
range of food courts that offer all manner of cuisine... Feel free
to exercise your taste buds 
For more info visit http://www.lonelyplanet.com
Nairobi is well versed with lots of different bars and pubs to visit. Every place offers soft and
alcoholic drinks as well as fast foods.
Depending on your preference to music and atmospheric ambience, there is a wide variety of bars
and clubs where you can spend your time relaxing and having a good time.
The Kenyan beers are fairly cheap coming at around Ksh200 a bottle.
Cafes
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Cafes can also be found all within the Nairobi city with the most popular being Java Coffee House.
(Let’s not forget Kenyan Coffee Beans are some of the highest quality coffee in the world) 
Visit http://www.nairobijavahouse.com for more details
NIGHTLIFE
If you are a party animal or just want to let out some steam then feel free to explore the Nairobi
nightlife. The amazing club life is guaranteed to leave you wanting more. Kenyan nightlife is
infamous for its anything goes attitude.
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IAESTE KENYA
Kenyans like to have a good time and
the nightlife in the city’s go a long
way to exemplify this.
Major Clubs in Nairobi:
•
Skyluxx
•
Galileo
•
Carnivore
•
•
Rafikiz
Black Diamond
•
OffRoad
•
Red Tape
Major Clubs in Thika
•
Klub Image
•
•
Klub Zinc
Brown Bottles
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Typically night clubs are open till the sun shines the next day
And it’s common to take your time, eat dinner, and possibly hang out at some cheap bar with
friends before checking into the main destination.
For more details check http://www.254events.com
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IAESTE KENYA
Public Trans port
Transport
Juja is a small town and every place is within a walking distance of the other.
There are different public means to move around Juja and the surrounding towns (Nairobi
and Thika).
Movement within Juja is by ‘boda bodas’ which is local slang for motor bikes and bicycles.
‘Matatus’, taxis and buses move people from one town to another. The price varies
depending on the distance of the destination.
You can get a Matatu from Nairobi to Juja from the Tusker Stage in the Nairobi CBD.
WEATHER
Weather
The Time zone in Juja has it experiencing Sunrise at 0636hrs and Sunset at 1839hrs.
Lying at 4,649 feet above sea level it experiences a nearly constant weather pattern.
Temperature
February is the warmest with an average
temperature of 29.3˚C at noon and July is the
Make sure to bring your swim
suit, sunglasses and sun
screen. 
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coldest with an average temperature of 11.4˚C at night.
Juja is pretty humid and can therefore be classified as a Tropical Savannah Climate.
IAESTE Kenya in JKUAT caters for your health within the university hospital. Your insurance is
limited to inpatient, outpatient minor operations and first aid. For treatment outside the university
of referral to other hospital you have to cater for your own cost.
Dental procedures are exclusive in insurance.
In case of any medical problem you may have kindly inform the office once you get to university.
How to spend free time
During your free weekends or during the public holidays there are a lot of activities to do both
within Juja and in the city.
If you are a movie goer make sure to check out the IMAX Cineplex for the 3D movie
experience.
Movie Rates:
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IAESTE KENYA
Student - Ksh500
Adult (Non Student) – Ksh900
Indoor Activities
For the indoor people remember to check out the National Museums in Nairobi to get a sense
of the Kenyan culture. Or book a date with Bomas of Kenya to have the actual experience
firsthand.
For a treat of the local cuisine you can visit eating spots like Carnivore and enjoy the famed
Kenyan “Nyama Choma”
Also feel free to check out the Bowling alley and indoor ice skating rink also found within the city
Centre.
Outdoor Activities
If you are more of an outdoor person then Kenya is just the place for you.
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Many fun outdoor games and activities ranging from GP carting, Paintball, Swimming, Mini golfing,
Concerts and Barbeques are available within the city.
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If you are willing to travel the for an extra amount you can secure a safari trip to some National
Game Parks and Reserves and visit many of the natural spectacular wonders Kenya has to offer.
I.e. Amboseli National Park with Mt. Kilimanjaro in the background 
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IAESTE Kenya exchange students at a Maasai village performing Maasai dance.
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IAESTE KENYA
Little Swahili Dictionary 
SWAHILI
Karibu
Asante
Habari
Shule
Boda boda
Matatu
Nyama choma
Ugali
Chakula
Twende
Ngoja
Hakuna Matata
Simba
Rafiki
Mrembo
ENGLISH
Welcome
Thank You
How are you
School
Motor bicycle/ bicycle
Small Bus
Roast Meat
Cooked Corn Meal aka African Cake
Food
Let’s Go
Wait
No Worry
Lion
Friend
Beautiful
IMPORTANT
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
A return ticket
A valid passport
A visa and possibly transit visas for countries you are travelling through
Stationery
A sleeping bag
A national costume (optional)
A national instrument (optional)
Warm clothes
Any necessary prescriptions for medicines
NOTE:
If you wish to extend your stay in Kenya make sure to make arrangements in your home country
before the trip as you cannot extend your Visa from within Kenya.
“Taking Technical And Cultural Exchange Beyond Kenyan Borders”
IAESTE KENYA
Useful Websites
Facts and Travel Advisory:
www.magicalkenya.com
www.lonelyplanet.com/kenya/nairobi
www.nairobicity.go.ke
www.kenya-airways.com
For News and weather forecast about Kenya visit:
www.nation.co.ke www.accuweather.com
For more info on Jomo Kenyatta university of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) visit:
www.jkuat.ac.ke
To keep track on the Kenya Shilling exchange rate visit:
www.centralbank.go.ke
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@IAESTE_KENYA
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“Taking Technical And Cultural Exchange Beyond Kenyan Borders”