President William Ruto on Sunday, February 23, announced plans to revise visa processing procedures in the country to boost tourism.
Speaking in Mombasa where he toured the luxury Cruise Liner Norwegian Dawn which docked with over 2,000 tourists, Ruto noted that his administration was mulling removing complicated paperwork discouraging people from visiting Kenya.
He noted that the new changes would mainly target visitors who arrive in the country using cruise ships whose traffic has peaked in recent months.
The head of state disclosed that he had already engaged Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) management led by Captain William Ruto and agreed on the implementation of the revised way of approving visitors’ documents.
According to the president, the far-reaching reforms would also target electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) requirements. An eTA is a semi-automated system that determines the eligibility of visitors to travel to Kenya.
”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,” the head of state said during the tour.
”We have agreed with the management of the port that it will be made simple and easy so that visitors can visit our country, cities, and parks with much more ease,” he added.
This was after it emerged that visitors arriving on cruise ships failed to secure authorization to visit various places due to complex paperwork.
Exempting African travellers
This was Ruto’s second commitment to revising visa requirements for travellers in 2025. On January 21, 2025, the Cabinet approved a proposal to exempt travellers from all African countries from the eTA as part of efforts to support open skies policies and tourism growth.
In the Cabinet despatch, Somalia and Libya were exempted from the waiver due to security concerns.
“This initiative aims to promote regional integration and ease travel across the continent. Most African visitors will be allowed a two-month stay, while East African Community (EAC) nationals will continue to enjoy a six-month stay under EAC free movement protocols,” the resolution reads.
Cabinet announced that the move was aimed at enhancing the eTA system to boost efficiency and improve the traveller experience.
Enhanced infrastructure
In an earlier statement shared by the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) they attributed the increase in port operations to improved infrastructure.
KPA noted that the latest cruise ship docked with over 2,000 visitors who were scheduled to visit several areas in the country before departure.
“Kenya Ports Authority celebrates the arrival of luxury Cruise Liner Norwegian Dawn, to the Port of Mombasa from Seychelles with 2220 tourists aboard.
“With a length overall of 294 metres and a draft of 8.3 metres, she is one of the largest cruise vessels to ever call Mombasa bringing over 2000 tourists from various nationalities majorly the United States of America to the Kenyan shores,” KPA’s statement read in part.
“Enhanced infrastructure notably a modern cruise terminal and other strategic developments have led to a surge in cruise vessel calls at the ports of Mombasa and Lamu, positioning Kenya as key destination for international cruise liners,” it added.
Kenya Ports Authority celebrates the arrival of luxury Cruise Liner Norwegian Dawn, to the Port of Mombasa from Seychelles with 2220 tourists aboard.
With a length overall of 294 metres and a draft of 8.3 metres, she is one of the largest cruise vessels to ever call Mombasa… pic.twitter.com/WbjvzsYc0n
— Kenya Ports Authority (@Kenya_Ports) February 23, 2025
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