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| Confirmed! Kenya To Issue African Travelers Visas On Arrival |
It has been confirmed that Africans visiting Kenya will no longer need to get a visa before traveling to the East African nation of Kenya, which is the latest country to join a continent-wide push to boost integration and free movement as the case may be.
Morealso, during his inauguration for a second term in office, the president Uhuru Kenyatta announced that Africans wishing to visit the Eastern African nation of Kenya will be eligible to receive a visa on their arrival. The directive, he said, was meant to basically enhance trade, security, and intercontinental travel. Kenya already had one of the more straightforward online processes for short-term visas which we all know.
So “ the free movement of people on our continent has always been a cornerstone of Pan-African brotherhood and fraternity, ” which we can all agree to that, Kenyatta said. “ The freer we are to travel and live with one another, the more integrated and appreciative of our diversity, we will become.”
The President, Uhuru Kenyatta made his announcement in front of African leaders from the following country; Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gabon, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, Uganda, and Zambia, among others.
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| President Uhuru Kenyatta |
The President, Uhuru Kenyatta made his announcement in front of African leaders from the following country; Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gabon, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, Uganda, and Zambia, among others.
However, moving across Africa or anywhere else is tough for Africans themselves, who have the least powerful passports in the world, in fact, it is not an incident to shy from and we all know its true. Even North Americans and Europeans travel faster and with less restrictive visa processes within the continent than most Africans. But over the last couple of years, there is been a drive by the African Union and others to see that movement across the continent becomes easier for the indigens of Africa themselves.
Furthermore, the African Development Bank, which monitors visa openness of countries, says at least 21 countries have loosened or scrapped their visa rules altogether. Along with Seychelles, which has had no visa requirements for long now, Ghana, Rwanda, Mauritius, Nigeria, and Benin have all adopted this no visa policy over the last two years. The African Union (AU) also launched a continental passport last year as part of its move to encourage open borders.
Nevertheless, In his speech, President Uhuru Kenyatta went ahead and said that members of the East African Community (EAC) will be treated as Kenyans when they visit the country. They will be able to use their identity cards, and not passports, to do business and own property in Kenya. The EAC consists of six countries including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. President Uhuru Kenyatta said he did not expect any reciprocity from his other member states.
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