The Cabinet has approved a proposal to exempt travellers from all African countries from the Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) as part of efforts to support open skies policies and tourism growth.

An eTA is a semi-automated system that determines the eligibility of visitors to travel to Kenya. An eTA offers permission to travel and is authorised by the Government of Kenya.

Somalia and Libya have, however, been exempted from the waiver due to security concerns.

“This initiative aims to promote regional integration and ease travel across the continent. Most African visitors will be allowed a two-month stay, while East African Community (EAC) nationals will continue to enjoy a six-month stay under EAC free movement protocols,” the resolution reads.

Cabinet said the move is aimed at enhancing eTA system to boost efficiency and improve the traveler experience.

Travellers must apply for an eTA online at least three days before their trip to Kenya, unless they are citizens of an eTA-exempted country.

The eTA is required for tourist or business stays of up to 90 days at a cost of $30 (about Sh3,870).

Until Tuesday’s decision to grant the eTA exemption, only 17 countries were exempted.

Tuesday’s decision was reached during the first Cabinet meeting of 2025 chaired by President William Ruto at State Lodge, Kakamega.

“To improve efficiency, an expedited eTA processing option will be introduced, allowing travelers to receive approval instantly, with processing time capped at 72 hours based on operational capacity,” the Cabinet resolved.

Additionally, the introduction of an Advanced Passenger Information/Passenger Name Record system will enhance prescreening, strengthen security, and streamline passenger processing at entry points,” it added.

The Cabinet further tasked the ministries of National Treasury, Transport, Interior, and Tourism to review, report and, within a week, propose guidelines to improve travellers’ experience at all Kenyan airports.

The cabin secretaries are set to give a detailed report by Wednesday next week.

This comes even as the number of visitors touring our game reserves increased by 43 percent reaching about 3.64 million in 2024 up from 2.54 million in 2023.

Giving an update on the state of tourism and Wildlife in Kenya, Cabinet Secretary Tourism and Wildlife Rebecca Miano also revealed that the number of international tourists has gone up by 2.4 million in 2024 up from 2.08 million in 2023.

Miano said the digitisation of tourism services has also seen revenue grow from Sh 5.35 billion in 2022/23 to Sh 7.6 billion in 2023/24 financial year.

To address the emerging issues related to climate, the government has also built 21 water pans and 4 boreholes in Tsavo conservation area.