Kenyan Passport Improves in Latest Global Ranking

A photo of the Kenyan passport (left) and the East African Community (EAC) passport (left).
A photo of the Kenyan passport (left) and the East African Community (EAC) passport (left).
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The Guide Passport Ranking Index ranked the Kenyan passport in the 75th position globally in its latest rankings released on Tuesday, January 10, allowing passport holders visa-free entry into 40 countries.

Passport Index, the organization behind the ranking indicated that the country's rank is due to the degree of global entry it guarantees to Kenyan passport holders globally.

The ranking is done as a result of the level of global entry it grants its holders and takes into consideration the number of countries that can be visited by the nationals without applying for a visa.

Kenyan passport holders, however, must obtain a visa in order to enter 123 other countries and require a visa on arrival in 35 countries.

A photo of an arrival terminal at JKIA.
A photo of an arrival terminal at JKIA.
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However, Kenya's passport rank fairs badly against its East African counterparts such as Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda. 

For instance, Tanzania's passport is ranked in position 73rd while the Rwandan and Ugandan passports are tied in the 71st position globally. 

“With global travel now at around 75% of pre-pandemic levels, those with the opportunity to do so appear to be embracing what has been termed ‘revenge travel’,” a report by Henley & Partners, a citizenship and planning firm, stated.

Countries that allow visa-free access for Kenyan passport holders include Malaysia, Senegal, Singapore, and Panama among others. 

Some of the destinations for which a prior visa is required are the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Japan among others. 

The extremely useful tool for travelers is also an indication of what share of the world’s GDP is accessible to them visa-free, and is therefore important for global economic access.

Japan topped the Index rank and was named the original ranking of all the world’s passports because of the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.

“Japanese citizens are now able to visit an astonishing 193 destinations out of 227 around the world visa-free,” a report by Henley & Partners, a citizenship and planning firm, stated. 

Passport ranking is used by global citizens and international business people to better measure economic mobility.

Some of the best passports to hold in 2023, according to the Henley Passport Index include  Japan with 193 visa-free destinations, Singapore and South Korea with 192 visa-free destinations, Germany and Spain with 190 visa-free destinations, Finland, Italy, and Luxembourg with 189 visa-free destinations.

In 2022. The Kenyan passport ranked 76 out of all passports worldwide and was in the top ten of the most powerful passports in Africa.

Travellers at the Frederic Chopin Airport in Poland.
Travellers at the Frederic Chopin Airport in Poland.
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