- Kenya introduces a six-month grace period for East African Community members to receive updates on regional travel policies.
- Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) fees for other East African countries are temporarily suspended for system enhancement.
- Kenya plans to offer free eTA for East African Community nationals, aiming for compliance with international protocols.
According to a report by the Ugandan news publication, The Monitor, Several Kenyan officials stated that Kenya has ceased the process of applying for and paying for Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) for other East African countries for six months. This was done to enable Kenya to create a better system.
Currently, Kenya is looking to streamline the process, according to Mr. Nixon Ng’ang’a, the Interior Affairs Ministry Director of Communications.
“EAC nationals will be issued with ETA gratis (free eTA). We are currently developing the system to recognize various types of EAC documents used to travel within the region,” the director of communications stated.
“Some of these are not ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) compliant. The six-month period would be used to align regional interest and compliance with international travel protocols,” he added.
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The statement on the implementation of the eTA reads; “Henceforth, all travelers coming to Kenya will be required to apply for Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), with the exclusion of the exempted persons: citizens of the East African Partner States.”
The statement was signed by Mrs. Evelyn Cheluget, the director of the Kenyan State Department of Immigration and Citizen Services.
According to the report by The Monitor, this new eTA system is intended to replace the Kenyan Visa System. People looking to visit Kenya are required to apply at least 3 days before their trip to the country. The application fee currently stands at $30 per head.
Kenya has been implementing the new eTA system as of January 1st, 2024, to all travelers, except those that had been exempted.
The EAC countries exempted include; Uganda, Burundi, DRC, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Somalia.