Tanzania and Kenyan Flags on a wall | SWT Images
Newly released documents from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Epstein Files include references to Kenya and Tanzania, placing the two East African nations in the broader context of investigations into the late U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein and his international social and travel networks.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed by U.S. lawmakers in 2025, compelled the Justice Department to make public millions of pages of documents, including emails, correspondence, photos and reports tied to Epstein’s investigations and criminal network. The January 2026 release alone consisted of more than 3.5 million pages of records, 2,000 videos and 180,000 images.
According to summaries of the documents, Kenya and Tanzania are mentioned in different contexts within the files, alongside other African nations such as Somalia and Senegal. Kenya is referenced repeatedly as part of communications tied to travel plans, social events and geographic mentions, while Tanzania appears primarily as a transit location for travel within Epstein’s global network.
In the files, coastal towns along Kenya’s Indian Ocean littoral, including Malindi, are named in connection with trips and social chatter among Epstein and some of his associates. Other passages in the release describe conversations that include references to travel in the region, though they do not constitute evidence of illegal conduct by Kenyan citizens, officials or institutions.
One line framed as casual travel chatter mentions the possibility of “bringing a little baby back,” a quote that circulated in some summaries of the files; however, major news organisations have not independently verified detailed trafficking allegations specific to children from Kenya or Tanzania based on these documents. Experts caution that being mentioned in the files without further corroboration is not evidence of criminal behaviour.
Analysts note that Epstein’s global connections were extensive and often socially oriented; references to locations around East Africa may reflect elite travel, safari plans, or professional correspondence rather than direct involvement in criminal networks. Experts add that many documents include unverified tips, informal comments and metadata that require careful interpretation by investigators and journalists.
As with other high-profile names and locations referenced in the files including political figures and business communities around the world the presence of Kenya or Tanzania in the documents has not resulted in indictments or formal allegations against either government or its citizens. The Justice Department has emphasized that the files include “untrue and sensationalist claims” as well as routine social or travel information that may be misleading if taken out of context.
