Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano has been forced to respond to a complaint about the timeline of the review of Kenya's Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system after the Cabinet sanctioned the review.
In a statement on Wednesday, December 18, Miano disclosed that the government has scheduled a multi-sectoral engagement on January 7, 2025, to review the ETA system based on raised concerns.
"We have scheduled a multi-sectoral engagement on 7th January 2025 to review and discuss the ETA in detail based on the concerns raised and the results of the Africa Visa Openness Index. I will keep all stakeholders updated until we improve the visa openness index," Miano remarked.
Her response follows a complaint raised by CNN International Correspondent Larry Madowo over the cabinet
"Kenya is 'reviewing and strengthening' its widely criticized Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system after a major drop in the country’s ranking in a visa openness index. A cabinet statement does not include timelines or what exactly will change," Larry stated.
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On Tuesday, the Cabinet sanctioned the review of the ETA system, a move described as a bid to enhance Kenya's competitiveness by accommodating more tourists.
This comes even as Kenya was ranked at position 46 out of 54 in the latest Africa Visa Openness Index 2024.
In a report released on Monday, November 25, Kenya had a score of 0.113 and was ranked behind Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.
The 2024 report compared how countries are open to citizens of various countries across the continent.
The report detailed that Kenya's ranking was majorly affected by the government's policy, which requires visitors to obtain an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).
