The Israeli Embassy has been forced to respond to reports that it had denied Deputy President William Ruto and his wife Rachel Ruto visas to gain entry into their country.
In a statement on Wednesday, Israeli ambassador Noah Gal Gendler clarified that they are not required to have visas before travelling to Israel being that they both have diplomatic passports.
"The warm friendship of Kenya and Israel has enabled both the governments to exempt visas for diplomatic passport holders and, therefore, H E Deputy President Ruto and his wife do not require visas to travel to Israel," he was quoted by the Star.
He further faulted the publications that sought to run the story without verification from the Embassy.
"The Embassy of Israel feels aggrieved by the false story which is baseless and without a doubt irresponsible for any news channel, even one that wants to remain relevant," Gendler, who is also the Ambassador of Israel to Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi and Seychelles added.
A Kenyan who wants to travel to Israel can apply for any of the nine visas offered on the Israel Embassy's website.
If one is interested in merely touring the country, a B/2 visa is applicable where someone wishes to stay in Israel for a short time. It is valid for up to three months from the date of issue.
"The duration of the stay in Israel will be determined by the Border Police. A person who enters Israel on a B/2 visa is not allowed to work in the State of Israel," the Embassy directs.
The visa will be only be issued upon the provision of the certain requirements including a passport valid for at least 6 months which must have at least 3 blank pages at the time of application.
Also required is an invitation letter from Israel, in addition to, a bank statement for the past six months, a return flight itinerary, a clear passport photo, international travel and medical insurance and a Visa application fee that totals to Kshs 4,140
Visa application processing takes 14 working days.
