President William Ruto on Thursday pledged to review visa and work permit requirements for missionaries to ease their operations.
The President made the remarks while commissioning the state-of-the-art Cardiothoracic Centre at the AGC Tenwek Mission Hospital in Bomet County.
“Let me give assurance to the missionary community who have requested us to review their work permits and visa requirements to scale them down," stated the Head of State.
"I agree with you that this is an area of concern and therefore we will reconsider our position and bring the missionary visa and work permit process to the level that you have requested.”
He added that reviewing the current requirements will encourage the work of missionaries in the country and promote growth and development. “We want to be able to continue to work with you as you provide service to our nation.”
The ultra-modern 400-bed hospital project was made possible with funding from the Samaritan’s Purse and the World Gospel Mission.
The President was quick to relay his gratitude to the sponsors and highlighted their impact in improving Kenya’s healthcare system.
“We thank faith-based organizations for partnering with us to deliver affordable healthcare to Kenyans over the years.”
Dig Deeper: Currently, the Class I (Missionaries) work permit application process comprises seven stages and is divided into three categories; fees paid, required documents, and institutions/systems involved.
This permit is issued to a person who is a member of an institution registered under the Society's Act who is engaged as a missionary, a member of a company limited by guarantee, a member of a trust registered under the Trustees Act and is approved by the Government of Kenya, and whose presence in Kenya will be of benefit to Kenya.
The seven-stage process is as follows;
-
Apply and pay for work permit processing fees.
-
Submit permit application.
-
Obtain notification of approval.
-
Pay for permit fees.
-
Permit endorsement.
-
Obtain payment acknowledgment receipt.
-
Obtain a class I work permit.
The total fees paid total to Ksh7,100. A fee of Ksh1,000, which is paid twice, covers the work processing fees. A fifty shilling charge paid twice covers the eCitizen costs while a Ksh5,000 fee is paid to cover the issuance of a class I work permit that is valid for one year.
Institutions and systems covered include the Department of Immigration; Foreign Nationals Management section, the eFNS (electronic Foreign Nationals Services) portal that caters to the application for work permits, passes, permanent residence, or Kenyan citizenship, and Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB).
Documents that one should submit include a certificate of incorporation, academic and professional certificates, KRA pin certificate, passport photos, a passport, permit application printout, permit cover letter, payment receipt for work permit processing fee, permit checklist, notification of issuance of invoice, foreign national registration certificate (alien), bank deposit, security bond, security bond receipt and letter of authority.
