It said the visit to Egypt, whose alliance with the United States has come under strain, would only last several hours.
Ties between Washington and Cairo have deteriorated since the overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi.
In a sign of the tension, the United States said on Oct. 9 it would withhold deliveries of tanks, fighter aircraft, helicopters and missiles as well as $260 million in cash aid to Egypt pending progress on democracy and human rights.
Kerry arrives a day before Morsi and 14 other Brotherhood leaders go on trial on charges of inciting violence.
Kerry wants to maintain ties with the most populous country, which has a peace treaty with Israel and controls the Suez Canal waterway linking Europe and Asia.
Relations between the United States and Egypt are now in turmoil and the entire Middle East could suffer, Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy said last month.
He told state-run Al-Ahram newspaper that Egypt had depended on U.S. aid for too long and that Washington was wrong to assume Cairo would always follow its line.