What a Visa-free Kenya Will Look Like

On Tuesday, December 12, Kenya made a historic decision to become a visa-free country. Announced by President William Ruto during the country's 60th Independence Day celebration, starting January 2024, travellers into the country will no longer require a visa.

“Kenya is the home of humanity, a scientific fact that fills us with pride and underscores our rich heritage. It is with great pleasure, as President of this extraordinary country, to make a historic announcement of the decision of the Government of Kenya. Beginning January 2024, Kenya will be a visa-free country,” said President Ruto.

Before this announcement, Kenya had waived visa requirements for specific countries. 

• Nationals of 42 countries ranked as Category 1 had been exempted from obtaining a Visa.
• Nationals from 144 other countries ranked as category 2, could be issued with e-Visas upon application on the eCitizen platform.

The new policy allows visitors to enter for tourism or business without a visa, promoting short stays and supporting the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

However, travellers will now need to obtain an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) through a new digital platform to be introduced for advanced identification, similar to systems in the UK and Canada. Decisions are set to be made within a “week or two” according to the Foreign Affairs Ministry. 

Despite the visa abolishment, travellers must pay $30 (Ksh4,600) for an ETA, as outlined in a November 2023 gazette notice.

The gazette notice had also introduced new Visa fees effective January 2024, that now have been put on hold following this decision. They included; 

• $100 (Ksh15,300) for a Single Entry Visa 
• $500 (Ksh76,700) for a Multiple Entry Visa
• $160 (Ksh24,500) for a 5-year Multiple Entry Visa
• $200 (Ksh30,600) for an extension of visa after six months.

According to the gazette notice, visitors who overstay were to pay $100 (Ksh15,300) for all Visa types save for $50 (Ksh7,600) for the Transit Visa. 

It is anticipated that the government, which is currently grappling with meeting revenue targets, will lose over Ksh5 billion annually due to the visa-free decision, impacting projected revenues from immigration visas and consular fees.

• National Treasury projections show Ksh5.67 billion was expected to be raised from immigration visas and other consular fees in the 2023/24 FY.
• Another Ksh5.7 billion was projected in the 2024/25 FY and Ksh4.9 billion in 2025/26 FY
• Directorate of Immigration Services data show 2022 visitor arrivals in Kenya increased 77.9% from 823,312 in 2021 to 1,465,175.
• Arrivals are, however, yet to hit pre-pandemic levels of 1,862,572
• The tourism sector, that is dependent on growth in international arrivals, is a significant foreign exchange earner for Kenya.

President Ruto hopes the visa-free entry will stimulate tourism and replenish foreign currency reserves.

“"When people cannot travel, businesspeople cannot travel, entrepreneurs cannot travel, we all become net losers,” President Ruto told an audience in Congo-Brazzaville last year.  

The decision raises concerns about security implications and potential reciprocity from other nations. Some critics argue that developments remove the rigorous scrutiny during visa processing that ensured only law-abiding foreign citizens entered Kenya. 

To address these concerns, the government emphasises relying on an integrated criminal records database for screening.

"The people seeking to travel to Kenya must enter their details in an online platform that the government will unveil soon.

"Once the applicant's details are in the portal, Kenya, in partnership with the source country, will conduct a security check on the applicant before a decision is made whether to grant that person access, or not," Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary (PS) Korir Sing'oei is quoted on TRT Afrika.