S. Africa grants Kenyan passport holders three months visa-free entry

Kenyans holding ordinary passports will be allowed entry into South Africa for up to ninety days a year without a visa starting January 1, 2023 as the two countries move to strengthen bilateral ties.

The decision to allow visa free entry into South Africa was arrived at when President Ruto and visiting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa led their respective delegations in bilateral talks at State House, Nairobi, on Wednesday.

South Africans have since 2017 been able to visit Nairobi without a visa for up to 90 days.

Kenya has long expressed discomfort with the many hurdles its citizens travelling to South Africa continue to face with little response from Pretoria. In particular, Nairobi had raised concerns over the high costs of South African visas as well as the extended processing period, which currently takes at least five days.

The decision could strengthen Kenya’s passport which in July was ranked among the favourite in Africa. Kenya’s passport is ranked the most powerful after Seychelles, Mauritius, South Africa, Botswana, eSwatini, Malawi and Lesotho.

President William Ruto and his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa also said the two countries would deal with non-tariff barriers such as licensing bureaucracy, regulation restrictions and sanctions allowing opening up for business in sectors like industries, agricultural produce export and logistics.