Current Time in Nairobi
The clock gives the time in Nairobi now, with seconds. Kenya uses East Africa Time (EAT), UTC+3, and does not change its clocks.
Current time in Nairobi
- IANA zone
- Current time in Nairobi
Nairobi is on East Africa Time, UTC+3, every day of the year, so the gap to Nairobi only changes when the other city moves its clocks.
One offset all year
Kenya sits on the equator, where days and nights stay close to twelve hours each in every month. Summer time would bring no extra evening light, so Kenya has never used it in the modern era. The country has kept UTC+3 since 1942, after several earlier offsets of two and a half and two and three-quarter hours.
Kenya's position also makes it a convenient middle point for teams spread between Europe and Asia: Nairobi's working day overlaps with both London's morning and Delhi's afternoon.
- IANA zone
- Africa/Nairobi
- Standard time
- EAT · UTC+3
- Daylight saving time
- Not observed
- UTC+3Offset all year
- 0Clock changes per year
- 1942Year Kenya settled on UTC+3
Nairobi's gap to other cities
| City | In January | In July |
|---|---|---|
| Honolulu | −13 | −13 |
| Anchorage | −12 | −11 |
| Seattle | −11 | −10 |
| Denver | −10 | −9 |
| Vancouver | −10 | −10 |
| Houston | −9 | −8 |
| Lima | −8 | −8 |
| Toronto | −8 | −7 |
| Washington, D.C. | −8 | −7 |
| Buenos Aires | −6 | −6 |
| São Paulo | −6 | −6 |
| London | −3 | −2 |
| Amsterdam | −2 | −1 |
| Berlin | −2 | −1 |
| Madrid | −2 | −1 |
| Paris | −2 | −1 |
| Zurich | −2 | −1 |
| Athens | −1 | 0 |
| Cairo | −1 | 0 |
| Johannesburg | −1 | −1 |
| Doha | 0 | 0 |
| Riyadh | 0 | 0 |
| Dubai | +1 | +1 |
| Delhi | +2:30 | +2:30 |
| Dhaka | +3 | +3 |
| Ho Chi Minh City | +4 | +4 |
| Kuala Lumpur | +5 | +5 |
| Manila | +5 | +5 |
| Perth | +5 | +5 |
| Shanghai | +5 | +5 |
| Taipei | +5 | +5 |
| Seoul | +6 | +6 |
| Brisbane | +7 | +7 |
| Melbourne | +8 | +7 |
| Sydney | +8 | +7 |
Hours to add to the time in Nairobi; a minus sign means the other city is behind
Europe moves closer to Nairobi in its summer: London is three hours behind in January and two in July, Paris two and one. The US East Coast is eight hours behind in winter and seven in summer. Cities in Asia that also skip summer time, such as Delhi or Dubai, stay at the same distance all year; Dubai is always one hour ahead.
For calls with the Gulf, the live clock for Dubai shows the one-hour step; with India, Nairobi is two and a half hours behind Delhi all year.
In Swahili-speaking East Africa an older way of counting hours is still heard: the day starts at sunrise, so 7:00 AM on the clock is "saa moja", the first hour. When someone gives a time in Swahili, check whether they mean clock time or Swahili time, which runs six hours behind the numbers on the clock.
Nairobi time questions
What time zone does Kenya use?
East Africa Time, UTC+3, throughout the year. There is no daylight saving time.
Which countries share Nairobi's time?
Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, Madagascar and several others use East Africa Time; Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Moscow keep the same UTC+3 offset under other names.
How many hours is Nairobi ahead of London?
Three hours in winter and two in summer, when the UK moves to BST.
Why are sunrise and sunset almost the same every day in Nairobi?
Nairobi lies just south of the equator, so day length barely changes over the year and there is no reason to shift the clock for summer.
What time is it in Nairobi when it is 9:00 AM in New York?
4:00 PM while the US is on daylight saving time and 5:00 PM while it is on standard time.