The African Union (AU), which is headquartered in Addis Ababa and has 55 member nations in all, would no longer require visas for Kenyan visitors to enter the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Recently, the DRC removed visa restrictions for Kenyan nationals in retaliation for a similar action taken by Kenya just five days earlier.
The Directorate General of Migration in the DRC made an official announcement on this occurrence. The modification became effective on September 1, 2023, the same day that Kenya decided to stop requiring visas for visitors from the Congo.
In compliance with the President’s instructions, the decision was made to waive the visa requirement for Kenyans visiting the DRC. In order to comply with the rules governing the free movement of people among member nations of the East African Community, the DRC has upgraded Kenya from category 2 to category 1 in terms of visa requirements.
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This shift towards easier travel is in line with an African trend. This may be the last time that African nationals will need to pay for visas to visit Kenya, President William Ruto previously said at the African Private Sector Dialogue Conference on Free Trade.
Kenya has just announced visa-free entry for nationals of Senegal, Indonesia, and the Comoros. Also agreed upon was the permanent elimination of visa requirements for citizens of Kenya and Eritrea. To further encourage trade and collaboration, Kenya has been actively pursuing visa-free agreements with other nations, such as Djibouti.
Another encouraging development is that, as a result of a new visa-free agreement between the two countries, bearers of Kenyan passports can now enter South Africa without a visa. This agreement was reached through diplomatic means, with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa playing a key role in the negotiations.
The benefits to individuals and the promotion of regional integration are ultimately a result of these improvements, which represent substantial advances towards simplifying travel and encouraging greater collaboration between African nations.
