The Kenyan Passport has remained stable even as the number of Covid-19 infection continue to rise globally.
Kenya maintained its 72nd position on the Henley Passport Index, its original ranking of the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can have access without having a prior visa — with visa-free/visa-on-arrival access to 72 destinations.
The status of Kenya’s passport power could, however, take a dramatic turn if the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa’s estimates of 122 million infections in African come to pass.
In East Africa, Kenya is the fourth most affected nation after Djibouti, Sudan, and Somalia.
The most economically damaging measure the closure of border and airspace to passenger traffic.
However, President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday announced the resumption of international flights from August 1st.
The President also announced the resumption of local flights beginning July 15 under strict health guidelines in the country’s phased reopening.
In a move to keep the tourism sector afloat, the government announced that it had reduced entrance fees to all game reserves and game parks for one year starting 1 July 2020.
Managing Partner and Head of South, East, and Central Africa at Henley, Amanda Smit noted that although the full impact of the COVID-19 on global mobility is yet to be established, it was great to see the resilience of Kenya Passport until this point.
“As restrictions are starting to ease, we are beginning to see more people paying careful attention to their global mobility and evaluating their options for travel freedom and even residence,” she said.
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“The much-considered destinations are the ones which have effectively handled the coronavirus outbreak, and especially those which have declared themselves virus-free. International airline travel is still on halt, but it is to be expected that more people will look at various destinations to settle as soon as airspace is open.”
Last week the European Union gave a list of countries it would allow into the block from 1 July based on health and safety criteria.
The countries included in the list included Australia, Canada, Japan, and South Korea that have always had a higher score on the Henley Passport Index.
