Kenya set to revise Visa and ETA regulations to allow visitors to travel freely across the country

Kenya will revise its visa and electronic travel authorization (ETA) conditions for foreigners visiting the country to enhance tourist arrivals in the country, President William Ruto has said.

He spoke today while visiting the Port of Mombasa during the welcoming ceremony of the Norwegian Dawn Cruise Ship, President Ruto said the decision would ensure that the process of clearing visitors and tourists arriving at the port of Mombasa is paperless and seamless.

He said he had engaged with the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) management led by Captain William Ruto on how the revision will be done.

The new changes seek to align it with the recent adjustments made for international arrivals at Kenya’s major airports to ensure uniformity of entry process for all travelers.

“I want to confirm to you and other cruise ships that we will be changing our visa and our eta so that we can make it easier and seamless for those of you who are visiting. This will ensure that there is no paperwork and issues,” President Ruto said.

The Norwegian Dawn is the first cruise vessel of the year to dock in Mombasa.

During the ceremony, the president assured the public that Kenya’s projections to attract five million tourists by 2027 is still on course.

The president said the government is working with stakeholders to ensure that tourism products are expanded to create more opportunities.

“It’s our intention to expand our products so that apart from our beaches, and safaris going all the way to cultural tourism. We are working with stakeholders to ensure that we expand our tourism products so that we can attract more people, create more opportunities, have more leisure, and create more jobs for our young people and for our farmers,” he said.

President Ruto said last year, the number of foreign tourists increased to 2 million people generating a revenue amounting to Ksh450billion.

The amount generated this year was higher by nearly Ksh80 billion compared to what was generated in 2023 when about 2.4 million tourists visited the country.

Mombasa county governor Abdulswamad Nassir said he has agreed with the management of the port that the visa and ETA requirements for passengers arriving at the Port of Mombasa will be made simple and easy for the visitors to visit the country, cities, and parks.

Nassir said the new decision would allow visitors to travel freely across the country after a one-time clearance at the port. Once the conditions are met passengers would not undertake any more paperwork.

“‘This is going to be a seamless approach on the visa where the shipping line will simply be providing a manifest of all the passengers to the ports authorities who will in turn process it as a one-off,” Nassir said.

President Ruto’s announcement came just a month after the Cabinet announced that it was considering making it free for Africans to travel to Kenya after complaints emerged over the use of the eTA system.

“As part of efforts to support open skies policies and tourism growth, a key proposal is to grant eTA exemptions to all African countries—except Somalia and Libya—due to security concerns,” the Cabinet dispatch said in a statement.

The eTA system was introduced on January 1, last year, and mandates all travellers, including infants and children, to obtain an approved eTA before commencing their journey to Kenya.

The announcement indicated that Kenya would be exempting Africans from 52 countries from the Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) system introduced last year, except for Somalia and Libya.

The Cabinet statement further gave the government a go-ahead for Kenya to introduce an expedited eTA processing option, allowing travellers to receive approval instantly, with processing time capped at 72 hours based on operational capacity.

President Ruto visited the Port of Mombasa on Sunday morning, where he toured the luxury cruise liner Norwegian Dawn.

He joined the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) in celebrating the ship’s arrival from Seychelles, carrying 2,220 tourists and 1,100 crewmembers.

The 294-meter-long vessel brought passengers from 54 nationalities to the Kenyan coast for excursions, offering them the opportunity to explore the region’s pristine white sandy beaches and national parks.

“I am proud to welcome visitors as we establish Kenya as a destination for tourism, I am told 800 of our guests have already left for Amboseli and the city tour and it speaks what tourism is doing to our country,” Ruto said.

“Cruise ships were at an all-time high a few years ago, we did experience a slowdown but last year we had 6500 visitors and this year we expect that number to rise as we expect another eight cruise ships to dock.”

Kenya Ports Authority Managing Director Captain William Ruto piloted the vessel to Berth No. 1 and welcomed its arrival, reaffirming KPA’s commitment to supporting cruise tourism in the country.

The Norwegian Dawn’s maiden call to Mombasa follows the recent docking of the cargo vessel MV KMTC Hochiminh at the port on its inaugural voyage.

In December 2024, the Port also welcomed MV Bollete, a cruise liner carrying over 900 passengers. Captain Ruto confirmed that another cruise ship is expected to arrive next month.

During his tour, President Ruto interacted with tourists on board, shaking hands and taking selfies with them.

He was accompanied by Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir, KPA Managing Director William Ruto and Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano.

The more than 2,000 passengers who disembarked on Sunday morning will enjoy a series of exciting excursions along the Kenyan coast, exploring the country’s stunning beaches and wildlife parks.

Captain Ruto emphasised KPA’s dedication to enhancing cruise tourism through strategic infrastructure investments, positioning the Port of Mombasa as a key hub for international cruise travelers.

“This is just the beginning—we expect more vessels to call at the Port of Mombasa. I want to assure all cruise lines that the port is safe and ready to receive more visitors,” he said.

Chairman Benjamin Tayari welcomed the call noting the visit is an affirmation of Kenya as a tourism hub in Africa.

Miano said the number of tourists who docked on Sunday is the highest Kenya has received at once over the last 10 years.

“We are happy that cruise tourism is picking and Kenya is emerging as the favourite destination of cruise ships,”’ said Miano.