The Kenyan government has for the first time allowed all citizens from African countries to enter the country without a visa, except for the countries of Somalia and Libya.
This decision, which came out on Tuesday from the Cabinet of Ministers of Kenya chaired by President William Ruto, said that Somalia and Libya were excluded from African countries due to their security situation and concerns.
People from countries outside the East African Community are allowed to stay in Kenya for a period of 2 months without a visa, while people from East African Community countries can stay in Kenya for up to 6 months.
Kenya said that this decision is aimed at promoting the social integration of the African continent and to strengthen tourism in Kenya, which is visited by a large number of tourists every year.
“Considering the open air policy and the development of tourism, we are exempting visas from all African countries, except Somalia and Libya for security reasons,” said a statement from the Cabinet meeting.
The government of Somalia is one of the neighboring countries of Kenya, and the Kenyan army is part of the peacekeeping operation. The government of Somalia is also a member of the East African Community.
On the other hand, Kenya is home to a large number of Somali refugees who have fled the civil war and the insecurity in the country, which has not yet been fully resolved.