A total of 54 countries have banned Kenyan passport holders from setting foot in their countries because they have not approved the vaccine used to fight against Covid-19 in the country.
Kenya, which is grappling with the pandemic including the deadly Delta variant, was placed at number 77 by the Henley Passport Index, which monitors the world’s most travel-friendly passports.
The index, which has been in place since 2006 is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The latter is the largest, most accurate travel information database – and is also enhanced by Henley & Partners’ research team.
According to the index, some of the countries that have banned Kenyans include Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Cambodia, UK, Canada, Portugal, Denmark, and Bulgaria. Others include Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Chile, Czech Republic, and Cyprus.
Cameroon is the only African country to place restrictions on Kenya.
“Borders remain firmly closed in several countries including Australia, Canada, and New Zealand while many others continue to ban travelers from high-risk regions,” the Henley and Partners report noted.
Recently, The African Union decried the fact that the applicability of the EU Digital COVID Certificate “Green Pass” to different COVID-19 vaccines was not inclusive.
According to the index, Kenyans can only travel to 59 countries without a Visa and this is a significant drop from 79. This has also been attributed to the Covid-19 restrictions. Within the African continent, it lies alongside Ghana and Tanzania on the index at position 11 having dropped position 9.
Some of the countries ahead of Kenya include Seychelles, South Africa, Mauritius, Botswana, Namibia, Tunisia, and Swaziland, among the other African States.
Basically, a Kenyan can visit 29 countries without a visa and obtain the entry document on arrival in 30 countries.
Just as with many other countries, Kenya is grappling with the Corona pandemic and according to the Ministry of Health as of 12th July 2021, a total of 1,547092 people had been vaccinated. The country has taken a myriad of measures to ensure that the delta variant does not spread to other areas after warning that the Covid-19 Delta variant could spark a fourth wave of infections in Kenya.
Kenya is yet to take any retaliatory measures on any of the countries that have banned its passport holders.