Film production in Kenya
Kenya is covered here with 1 location. Between the longest and shortest day, usable light swings by up to 0h 09min depending on where you shoot — planning across the country is not planning one single kind of day.
Shooting hours in Nairobi across the year
Nairobi is the location covered here for this country. The table gives sunrise, sunset, usable daylight and the start of the evening golden hour for every month — computed from the coordinates (-1.2921, 36.8219) in the Africa/Nairobi timezone.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight | Golden hour (evening, from) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 06:37 | 18:48 | 12h 11min | 18:19 |
| February | 06:43 | 18:52 | 12h 09min | 18:24 |
| March | 06:39 | 18:46 | 12h 07min | 18:19 |
| April | 06:31 | 18:36 | 12h 05min | 18:08 |
| May | 06:28 | 18:32 | 12h 04min | 18:03 |
| June | 06:33 | 18:35 | 12h 03min | 18:06 |
| July | 06:38 | 18:41 | 12h 03min | 18:11 |
| August | 06:36 | 18:40 | 12h 04min | 18:12 |
| September | 06:26 | 18:32 | 12h 06min | 18:05 |
| October | 06:15 | 18:23 | 12h 08min | 17:56 |
| November | 06:13 | 18:23 | 12h 10min | 17:55 |
| December | 06:23 | 18:34 | 12h 12min | 18:05 |
What that means for planning
In Nairobi, daylight swings by 0h 09min across the year. A schedule built around 12h 12min in December has only 12h 03min left in June — with the same setup count.
Concretely: in December, the sun in Nairobi sets at 18:34, with golden hour starting as early as 18:05. Put the exterior at the end of the day and you shoot it in the dark, or not at all.
TillyGen folds each location's sun position straight into the schedule. An exterior that no longer fits before sunset in December is flagged in the plan, not discovered on the day. The same calculation sits behind every location page for this country.
Permits and local requirements
Filming permits are granted locally almost everywhere, not nationally: the city or district you shoot in is the responsible body, and processing times differ considerably within the same country. Public space, traffic areas and drone flights each run through separate procedures.
File early enough that a refusal still leaves room for a cover location — not so late that the permit becomes the condition for the only possible shoot day. Only the responsible local authority gives binding information.
Frequently asked
How many locations in Kenya are covered here?
1. Locations are included when there is an evidenced production landscape — not every town in the country.
Which location in Kenya has the longest shooting days?
In June, Nairobi with 12h 03min of daylight. In December that drops to 12h 12min.
When is the best time to shoot in Kenya?
On daylight length alone, December. Whether that also means the steadiest weather depends on the location — the individual location pages carry rain days and sunshine hours per month.
Do I need a separate permit for every location?
As a rule yes, as soon as public ground is involved. Private locations run through the owner; traffic areas and drones add further procedures. The local authority is always the binding source.