Earlier this December, shocking news came from Kenya’s President William Ruto when he made the announcement of a radical policy change in visa regulations: now, all travelers are free of charge. The motive of the campaign was to push the agenda of Africa without borders and tourism, focusing on the birthplace of all humans in Turkana County in Kenya. Nevertheless, such a plan has been crafted as a type of ETA, for which there are several reactions and issues.
Kenya has been a tourism and nonprofit work magnet for years, bringing many visitors. The new plan, designed to target five million tourists, has also received immense approval on social media because it will slash travel time in a continent suffering from strict visa rules. In the origin, the ETA concept seemed very promising, but in reality, it’s been highly controversial despite the fact that some countries proudly implemented the electronic visa system.
The UAE visa system requires citizens of visa-exempt countries, such as Ghana, to pay AD 125 to AD 200, book their flight and hotel, and wait three days for authorization. The authorities claim that the ETA system is needed for security and to have complete info on all people who enter and exit the country. Despite the fact that some travelers have discovered that the new regime is more cost-effective, others condemn it as one of the harshest visa regimes in Africa, but in disguise of liberalization efforts.
The Kenyan Government, trying to tackle economic issues, claims that the system of charging fishermen is an important source of income for the state. Julius Bitok of the Immigration and Citizen Services Department confirmed bringing in $1 million in seven days through the online travel authorization. The surge in foreign exchange is likely to provide much-needed respite for the Kenyan economy, striving to meet debt obligations and struggling with currency depreciation.
In its bid to attain its desired tourism targets, there still needs to be more skepticism among Kenyans. The living cost, recent protests, and court cases over new taxes and levels have intensified the government’s suspicions regarding intentions. Some of the critics suggest that no-visa arrangement is mostly a mechanism to generate greatly needed forex for the trillion dollar tourism industry through the spike of people visiting Malta.
However, in the end, ETA goes beyond purely economic considerations since it has generated concerns about reciprocity from those countries where such change affects. Nationals from 51 states that had before the requirement of visa-free access to Kenya will have the ETA procedure. The strain this could impose on the diplomatic relations and the bigger concerns facing the Kenyan travelers are noted.
Le Geoffrey Ouma, un entrepreneur de Nairobi, a exprimé son inquiétude sur les conséquences de l’ETA sur les relations internationales du Kenya. He is worried about the possible retaliation from other countries to such a policy shift, thus bringing discomfort to Kenyans. M. Hersi, a former chairman of the Kenya Tourism Federation, realizes the importance of changing the sector comprehensively for the sake of ICT at the gross continental level. Although Hersi backs the plan, she believes that the matter of coordination between the existing mechanisms and the African Union Agenda 2063, which aims at increasing mobility and accessibility in Africa, should be taken into consideration.
Kenyan President Ruto addressing the press.
The Kenyan decision to abolish visa restrictions was universally acclaimed, but the implementation of the ETA machine took a lot of work. Achieving both the objectives of increasing tourism revenues and securing borders at the same time calls for due consideration of any possible unintended impact on diplomatic relations and travelers’ everyday lives. Kenya needs help to refine its visa system so that the policy goals and the worries of its citizens and international community will have a well-matched tune.