Kenya features prominently in Paramount+'s spy thriller The Agency Season 2, with Nairobi and Kisumu serving as key filming locations for the Fassbender-led series.
Kenya has cemented its place on the global entertainment map, landing a starring role as a filming location in the second season of Paramount+'s acclaimed spy thriller The Agency. The show, 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 show's CIA-focused storyline. In Nairobi, the crew filmed key sequences in Ngara, Kibera, and on the rooftop of the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), capturing sweeping views of the capital's skyline. In Kisumu, production moved to the scenic Kajulu Hills, offering a striking lakeside contrast to the urban espionage scenes shot in the capital.
Producers reportedly chose Kenya because Season 2's storyline expands into East Africa, making authentic locations essential to grounding the plot.
The show follows undercover CIA operative Martian, played by Fassbender, as he navigates a dangerous mole hunt and a high-stakes international political crisis. Produced by George Clooney and Grant Heslov, The Agency is no small production — it sits alongside some of the biggest spy dramas currently on television, with a cast that also includes Jodie Turner-Smith, Jeffrey Wright, Richard Gere and Katherine Waterston.
Jodie Turner-Smith, who plays Samia Zahir, said in a post-filming interview that Kenya was one of the most outstanding locations for the show, with the people and the weather making the whole experience memorable. "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," she said. "And I think we got some really good stuff there. The weather was incredible. To be in Africa, it was really, really special."
Fassbender echoed similar sentiments about his first trip to the country, saying Kenya exceeded his expectations and praising the warmth of the people he met on set.
Beyond the international spotlight, the production also created opportunities for Kenyan actors, stunt performers and crew. Former Tahidi High actor and stuntman Emmanuel Mugo landed a role in the series as part of the Kenyan stunt team, joining the international cast in what he described as "an absolute privilege." His casting has been celebrated as another sign of Kenyan talent breaking into major international productions, following his earlier work on Netflix's Sense8 and the local action film Mission to Rescue.
Kenya featured alongside other international filming locations for the season, including studio sets in the United Kingdom and on-location shoots in Morocco — serious global company for a country increasingly positioning itself as a premier filming destination. 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 the big screen. The 1985 classic Out of Africa, starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, was filmed extensively across the Kenyan highlands and wildlife reserves, showcasing sweeping savannahs and coffee plantations that helped shape Kenya's identity as a cinematic paradise in the minds of global audiences. The Constant Gardener, released in 2005, 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.
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 committed Ksh500 million toward hosting the Grammy Awards, 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 future 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, officials say, is not just to make Kenya a location, but to build the country into a full creative economy — one Hollywood production at a time.