The Kenya High Commission in Maputo has sounded an alarm to Kenyan citizens traveling to Mozambique after noting a growing trend of immigration violations involving overstayed visits.
In a statement on Sunday, October 5, the commission confirmed that more Kenyan nationals were breaching the terms of stay under the visa exemption deal, which has been in force for seven years.
"The Kenya High Commission in Maputo has observed an increase in cases of Kenyan nationals overstaying in Mozambique, contrary to the Agreement on Exemption from Visa Requirements for Holders of Ordinary Passports between the Republic of Kenya and the Republic of Mozambique, which has been in force since 2018," the statement read.
While the arrangement allows Kenyans to travel to Mozambique without the need for a visa, the embassy reminded travelers of the official conditions, particularly the maximum duration of stay allowed.
"Kenyan nationals holding valid ordinary passports or equivalent travel documents with a minimum validity of six (6) months are permitted to enter Mozambique without a visa for visits not exceeding ninety (90) days, provided the purpose of stay aligns with that for which a visitor's permit may be issued," the statement added.
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The embassy warned that ignoring the rules could put travelers in trouble with Mozambican immigration authorities.
It made it clear that overstays would not be tolerated, warning that enforcement measures were already in place.
"Please note that exceeding the authorized 90-day period amounts to a violation of Mozambican immigration laws and attracts penalties, including possible legal repercussions.
"The High Commission therefore urges all Kenyans travelling to Mozambique to strictly comply with the permitted duration of stay to avoid inconveniences, fines, or other sanctions," the statement concluded.
This comes months after the Kenyan Embassy in Bangkok raised concern about Kenyans being duped into applying for fake jobs purported to be in Thailand.
In a statement sent to newsrooms on Friday, August 16, the embassy said it is frustrated with the number of Kenyans who are falling victim to human traffickers in Myanmar and Lao PDR who are behind the fake jobs.
The embassy noted that extracting people from the scam factories inside Myanmar and Lao PDR is dangerous due to the ongoing civil war.
"The Kenya Embassy in Bangkok is increasingly getting concerned and frustrated with Kenyans who continue to fall victim to human traffickers in Myanmar and Lao PDR, only to call the Embassy for help upon realizing that they had been duped into applying for fake jobs purported to be in Thailand," the statement read in part.
The embassy noted that it is currently looking for 3 missing Kenyans in Myanmar and has rescued over 140 Kenyans when the first cases of Kenyans trafficked to Myanmar and Lao PDR surfaced.
The embassy in Bangkok pointed out that Kenyans stream into Myanmar, mainly through Thailand despite warnings through various media channels.
"Even more frustrating is the fact that some of the Kenyans working in the scam compounds in Myanmar have become trafficking agents, on behalf of the criminal cartels. The agents, some of whom are Kenyans receive a lot of money from unsuspecting Kenyans as much as Ksh300,000 to get a visa at the Thai Embassy in Nairobi and pay for air tickets.
"However, in many of the cases, the return portion of the air ticket is invalidated as soon as the victim arrives in Thailand, while the hotel reservation is fake," the embassy stated.
According to the embassy, most victims are duped with fake job adverts in Thailand, especially customer care, front office, cryptocurrency, and teaching jobs.
