Kenya protests Nigerian visa process, rejects ‘unwarranted inconvenience’

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 27 — Kenya has protested Nigeria’s treatment of Kenyans seeking visas, with Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei describing the process as “unacceptable” and vowing diplomatic and political action.

Sing’Oei said the government was pursuing a resolution to what he termed “unwarranted inconvenience” faced by Kenyans applying for Nigerian visas, citing the lack of reciprocity between the two countries.

“The treatment of Kenyans seeking visas to Nigeria is unacceptable. While we extend visa-free entry to Nigerian citizens, this is not reciprocated,” Sing’Oei said in a statement.

He added that the government was pursuing a remedy at diplomatic and political levels.

The PS was responding to a social media user who complained that applying for a Nigerian visa required more documentation than applications for the United Kingdom, United States and Schengen countries, while taking longer to process.

The user cited a colleague applying for a visa to attend a conference in Nigeria after being invited by a host in the country. According to the post, the application required additional documents, including the inviter’s passport.

Kenya announced a visa-free regime for international visitors effective January 1, 2024, following a directive by President William Ruto during the country’s 60th Jamhuri Day celebrations in December 2023.

The arrangement replaced the traditional visa requirement with an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, under which travellers are subject to pre-screening before entering the country.

Jeremiah Wakaya is the Online Editor at Capital FM Kenya. He is a multimedia journalist with over a decade of experience covering politics, diplomacy, constitutional affairs, renewable energy, and wildlife conservation.