The government has set out tough rules for visitors who will travel visa free to Kenya which should be followed for them to get clearance to enter Kenya.
In a special gazette notice published on January 2 by Interior CS Kithure Kindiki, he published new regulations for the visa free travel.
According to the rules, Each person intending to travel into the country shall apply to the Director for Electronic Travel Authorization through the electronic portal and be in possession of the Authorization before embarkment.
“An application under sub-regulation (1) shall be in
Form 22 as set out in the First Schedule and shall include biographical information, travel itinerary and any other information relating to the application that the Director may require,” the gazette notice states
It further says each carrier coming into the country shall not onboard a passenger who does not hold a valid Electronic Travel Authorization.
Further, the Captain in charge of a carrier shall be responsible for ensuring that each passenger on board the aircraft holds a valid Electronic Travel Authorization.
Any carrier that brings into Kenya a person who does not hold a valid Electronic Travel Authorization shall return that passenger to his or her last port of call or country of origin.
It also states that the owner or a person in charge of carrier who conveys a passenger without a valid Electronic Travel Authorization shall be liable to the surcharge specified in section 44 (3) (d).
Carriers are also not carry passengers without electronic travel authorization and Passengers to be returned to the last port of call or country of origin.
They will be Surcharged for conveying inadmissible passenger.
However there is a disclaimer that possession of an Electronic Travel Authorization shall not constitute final authority to enter the country.
“Each carrier entering into Kenya or its operator or
agent shall submit advance passenger information (API) and passenger Name record (PNR) to the Director in the manner set out in the Tenth Schedule, or an interface control document, within the timeframe specified in the Thirteenth Schedule,” it states
A carrier or agent shall, before submitting Advance
Passenger Information or Passenger Name Record data under these Regulations, register with the Director in the form set out in the Fifteenth Schedule
In this regulation, “interface control document” means
the technical document setting out the Advance
Passenger Information data and Passenger Name Record data which an aircraft operator has agreed to provide to the Director and the manner in which such data is to be provided
“Where access to specific Advance Passenger
Information or Passenger Name Record data is necessary to respond to a threat, actual or potential, of a specified offence specified in the Twelfth Schedule being committed,an aircraft operator shall, upon request by the Director,transfer the data to the Director,” the regulations states