The Ministry of Health has issued a new international travel directive amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Effective Monday, January 11, no traveler will enter or depart Kenya without authentic and verified travelers’ COVID-19 certificates.
The move by the ministry aims at ridding the market of fake COVID-19 certificates. With the new directive, no laboratories will be allowed to issue a certificate without trusted travel codes.
“This will help us also save Kenya, the shame and travel bans when people use fake certificates and fake tests.” Head of Public Health Dr Francis Kuria said.
The new measure was prompted by reports of travelers who were apprehended at JKIA bearing forged medical documents.
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In November alone, nearly 100 Kenyans flew out of the country using falsified COVID-19 certificates to test positive in Dubai.
The government, in collaboration with the African Union, Africa CDC and with technical support from Panabios, has implemented an online system to authenticate and verify travelers’ COVID-19 certificates before departure or entry.
To get the certificate, a traveler needs to visit an authorized lab to take a PCR COVID-19 test. In Kenya, all approved PCR COVID-19 testing laboratories have been linked to the trusted travel initiative.
If one tests negative, one will be issued with a travel code that can be verified by airlines and port health authorities.
