Kenyans can now travel to 72 countries without a visa

Ranked 71st, the Kenyan passport ranking has improved six places more than last year, according to the Henley Passport Index.

The London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm released the rankings for the year 2022, based on exclusive data provided by the International Air Transport Association.

The report released on Monday, January 10 shows that the number of countries that Kenyans can visit without a visa, or obtain it on arrival has increased to 72 from 64 in January last year.

The East Africa Tourist Visa is valid for 90 days after arrival. Pulse Live Kenya

Updated quarterly, the Henley Passport Index is considered the standard reference tool for the global citizen and sovereign states for assessing passport rank on the global mobility spectrum.

In Africa, Kenya emerged eighth, a spot that it shared with Tanzania in the latest ranking and behind Mauritius, Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Seychelles and South Africa.

Many factors are taken into consideration for ranking the passports including if the passport-holder obtains a visa on arrival, a visitor’s permit, or an electronic travel authority (ETA) when entering the destination.

In 2017, Kenya rolled out new chip-embedded passports for its citizens in a move that targets rampant forgery and impersonation of holders. The new features are meant to make it impossible for anyone to forge or duplicate a Kenyan passport.

Roll-out of the e-passports with a 10-year validity period marked the beginning of the end of the ‘analogue’ passports that have been in use since Independence and has joined 60 other countries that use new passports.