Kenya has eased travel requirements for almost all African visitors
According to a new cabinet directive, Kenya will allow citizens of almost all African countries to travel without prior permission.
Last year, Kenya introduced a “visa-free” policy under which most visitors must apply online for authorization before leaving the country.
But the introduction of Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA), which replaced the visa requirement for all visitors, was criticized as a “visa under another name”.
On Tuesday, a cabinet statement said the ETA would be removed for all African countries except Somalia and Libya due to security concerns.
It said it was part of “efforts to support open skies policies and tourism development” and to “promote regional integration and ease travel across the continent”.
Despite introducing the ETA, Kenya performed poorly in the latest rankings of how open it is to visitors, falling 17 places to 46th out of 54 countries in the 2024 Africa Visa Openness Index.
Many African countries have in recent years tried to ease travel requirements for tourists coming from other parts of the continent, with studies showing that it is often easier for citizens of Western countries to travel.
Earlier this year, Ghana said all African passport holders Now we will be able to come and go without visa. African visitors to Rwanda also do not require a visa to enter the country.
Moves to facilitate travel within the continent are also being pushed by the African Union (AU).
Under the updated system, citizens of most African countries will be allowed to enter Kenya and stay eTA-free for up to two months.
However, members of the East African Community, which includes Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi, can stay for up to six months in line with the bloc’s policy.
Kenya also says it will introduce an enhanced process that will “allow travelers to receive approval quickly” and that the maximum processing time will be 72 hours.
It is not clear when this will take effect. According to the cabinet statement, several ministries have been tasked to propose guidelines within a week to improve “passenger experience at all Kenyan airports”.
Before the introduction of the ETA, visitors from over 40 countries, including Africa, could come to Kenya, get a stamp on their passport and enter without paying anything.
Now all travelers must apply and pay for an eTA at least three days before traveling to Kenya, unless they are citizens of an exempted country.
The ETA fee is $30 (£24) and is valid for 90 days.
The policy has faced criticism with states saying it could make it more difficult for potential visitors to get into the country.
Kenya has indicated there was a security element to the introduction of the new system, with a government spokesperson telling the BBC last year that it was necessary to screen passengers.
The country has been targeted by al-Shabaab jihadist militants from neighboring Somalia in several notorious attacks.
On Tuesday, the government said it was also introducing a system that would “enhance pre-screening, strengthen security and streamline passenger processing at entry points”.
