THE government of Kenya has removed the requirement to pay for Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for Zimbabweans travelling to that country.
This was announced by Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade spokesperson, Michael Chiwoneso Mukura.
Chiwoneso revealed that Zimbabwean travellers heading to Kenya will only be required to apply for authorisation on digital platforms for identification.
“The Ministry wishes to inform the public that the government of Kenya no longer requires Zimbabwean travellers to pay for an ETA when they apply to visit Kenya,” he stated.
According to the official, this exemption will allow more Zimbabweans to travel to Kenya which will boost trade between the two countries.
Zimbabwe joins Ethiopia whose ETA requirements to travel to Kenya were also scrapped.
Kenya has also scrapped the requirements for Eritrea, South Africa, Mozambique, San Marino, Comoros, Botswana and The Republic of Congo (Brazzaville).
President William Ruto who was in Zimbabwe in April emphasised that it was necessary to encourage trade among African countries to boost the economies.
In December 2023, President Ruto scrapped all visa requirements for all countries adding that each traveller will only be required to follow the new digital platform to register.
“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,” he stated.
This directive officially took effect in January 2024 and each traveller is required to pay USD30 which is cheaper than the previous visa charges.
After the new requirements, Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs Minister Musalia Mudavadi in March revealed that Kenya had received almost double the number of tourists.
Mudavadi noted that between January and March, Kenya had received 330,000 visitors who used ETA compared to 188,570 who used eVisa. Kenyans.
