President William Ruto on Tuesday during Jamhuri Day celebrations announced that Kenya will be moving forward with the plans to allow all global citizens visa-free access to the country.
While he had initially stated that the privilege would be granted to African citizens alone during the YouthConnekt Africa Summit 2023 last week, the Head of State remarked that Kenya will now open its gates visa-free to citizens from all countries in the world.
''Beginning January 2024, Kenya will be a visa-free country, It shall no longer be necessary for any person from any corner of the globe to carry the burden of applying for a visa to come to Kenya,'' Ruto remarked.
In his speech, Ruto also stated that all visitors coming to Kenya would be identified before being granted access for easy processing.
Ruto further clarified that visitors will have to identify themselves on an electronic platform for authorisation.
''To implement this new policy, we have developed a digital platform to ensure that all travellers to Kenya are identified in advance,''
President William Ruto first hinted at Kenya's plan to abolish Visa requirements while giving an address at the Three Basins Climate Change Conference in Brazzaville, Congo on October 28.
"By the end of this year, no African will need a visa to enter Kenya. The time has come to understand the importance of doing trade between us," he hinted.
Neighbouring Rwanda also announced the removal of Visa restrictions for all African Countries in a statement made by President Paul Kagame on November 2 at the 23rd Global Summit of the World Travel and Tourism Council.
According to Kagame, the move would help Rwanda to boost its tourism sector and promote trade between it and African countries.
"Any African, can get on a plane to Rwanda whenever they wish and they will not pay a thing to enter our country, ” Kagame stated.
Other countries that have abolished visa requirements for all African countries are Seychelles and Gambia, both countries rely heavily on Tourism.
