Kenya has cemented its place on the global entertainment map, landing a starring role in the second season of Paramount+’s spy thriller, The Agency.
The acclaimed series, featuring Hollywood heavyweight Michael Fassbender, chose Kenya as one of its key filming destinations, putting the country in front of millions of international viewers.
Production crews were spotted at various locations across the country, with both Nairobi and Kisumu serving as critical backdrops for the CIA-focused storyline.
The show follows undercover operative Martian, played by Fassbender, as he navigates a dangerous mole hunt and a high-stakes international political crisis.
The Agency Series Banner.
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Paramount+
Produced by George Clooney and Grant Heslov, The Agency is no small production. It sits alongside some of the biggest spy dramas on television right now.
One of the film’s stars, Jodi Turner-Smith, during a post-film interview, reiterated that Kenya was one of the most outstanding locations for the film, with the people and the weather itself making the whole experience wholesome.
“It was really exciting this season to get to film on location. Kenya was awesome. I’d never been to Kenya, and the people were amazing,” stated Jodi.
“And I think we got some really good stuff there. The weather was incredible. To be in Africa, it was really, really special.”
Kenya featured alongside other international filming locations, including studio sets in the United Kingdom and on-location shoots in Morocco, giving it serious global company.
Both seasons of The Agency are currently streaming on Paramount+, meaning Kenya’s landscapes are now reaching audiences worldwide from the comfort of their screens.
This is not Kenya’s first brush with Hollywood. The 1985 classic Out of Africa, starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, was filmed extensively across the Kenyan highlands and wildlife reserves.
That film showcased sweeping savannahs and coffee plantations, helping shape Kenya’s identity as a cinematic paradise in the minds of global audiences.
The Constant Gardener, released in 2005, also used Nairobi and its environs to ground its political thriller in an authentic African urban setting.
More recently, the 2018 blockbuster Tomb Raider filmed key scenes in Kenya’s coastal and inland regions, drawn by the country’s rugged terrain and diverse environments.
With this in mind, President William Ruto has been deliberately working to turn this momentum into a long-term industry, championing Kenya as a top destination for Hollywood filming.
His administration has struck strategic deals with Los Angeles-based Invention Studios and the Grammy Awards with a Ksh500 million commitment, positioning Kenya as more than just a backdrop but a serious partner in the entertainment sector.
Under the Talanta Hela creative initiative, targeted sites for international productions include the Maasai Mara, Mount Kenya, Hell’s Gate National Park, Lake Turkana, Diani Beach, and the Konza Technopolis Digital Media City.
The vision is not just to make Kenya a location, but to build itself into a full creative economy, one Hollywood production at a time.
President William Ruto during the Kalasha International Awards on Saturday, may 2, 2026.
PCS
