I hope to do several travel posts to bring you up to date but for now I wanted to share some changes coming for all those who live in Kenya or those who wish to travel to Kenya for tourism or for work.
Citizens of Kenya and all foreigners living in the country will now be required to apply for a Huduma Namba before they can apply for many other identification papers needed to operate in the country such as national ID cards, passports and so on. Even the elderly will require a Huduma Namba to apply for pensions though the roll out of pensions to the elderly hasn't even begun and has in fact been delayed for going on two years due to lack of money in the Treasury.
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| Article dated February 1, 2019 in Kenyan paper (Click to enlarge) |
Also, foreigners wanting to visit Kenya are being given shorter visas usually of one month duration rather than three.
All these changes come courtesy of Dr. Fred Matiang'i, Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Security who has been on a mission to rid the country of illegal workers and those who live in the country without benefit of proper identification. For my non-Kenyan readers you can google immigration changes in Kenya for news articles and You Tube videos regarding these changes.
There are many reasons for the changes including freeing up jobs that can legitimately be done by Kenyan locals. Another overriding and important national concern is the number of people who live in the country or enter the country to do damage through terrorist activities.
Of course while I can understand the changes taking place and the hard line stance, unfortunately in the meantime, innocent people will be adversely affected by these changes. People like ex-pat NGO workers and Christian missionaries who are applying for or renewing work permits. Foreigners must now apply for their appropriate visas whilst in their countries of origin.
Tourists who wish to stay longer in Kenya are now being limited to a one month visa though I think one can apply for an extension up to three months. In former days one would get a tourist visa for three months with extensions possible to at least six months. Tourist visas are now available through an on line application and have been for the past several years. I applied for a visitor's visa which took longer to process and approve than the last time I applied. Though it stated it was good for three months, it also said that the length of time I could stay in Kenya would be determined by officials at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi. My passport was stamped with a one month visa but it was only later that I realized it wasn't quite long enough. My stay in Kenya was about 35 days so several days longer than one month. One cannot be cavalier about overstaying a visa, Fortunately it didn't cause me any problems when I checked in at the airport for the return journey home.
Just to illustrate how serious everything needs to be taken, as I was about to board the plane in Amsterdam for Nairobi, I was shocked to learn of a terrorist attack at the Dusit Hotel located in the very neighbourhood where I had booked lodgings. Momentarily I was in a panic and wondered what to do about accommodations. Friends quickly found me an alternative but I decided I needed to think and pray during the flight about what to do. By the time I landed in Nairobi I felt peace about retaining my original booking. As time went on I had no qualms about staying in Nairobi. I thank God for the peace and the protection while I was there.
Now that I'm back in Canada I'm dealing with Winter. A late Winter storm has been hitting the west coast for just over a week.
I went from this
and this
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| Oshwal Center, Westlands, Nairobi |
to this
While I cannot say I was happy to return to Winter weather it is always good to be home after a long journey especially when a number of important things need doing.
I am grateful that I was kept safe on my journey. I'll be sharing more about this aspect in future posts.
In the meantime take care and have a wonderful weekend.
Sharing with
Skywatch Friday
Saturday's Critters
and
Friday Foto Friends
though this meme is on break for now.
20 comments:
You had to jump through hoops and be very accurate. I can see their point in changing the rules.
Wow Joyful, quite a lot of changes. You are a brave and courageous traveller. Praise God for keeping you safe and protected. And giving you wisdom for your plans and bringing you through. I can imagine it would be nice to be back and enjoy the garden even with all the snow covering! The picture of the zebra is quite striking!! (stripe-ing). Love and peace and blessings to you!! ♡
Hello, I am glad you had a safe and happy trip! I am so happy to see a new post from you. The traveling part is never really fun. I love the zebra. I would be happy just to spend a couple of weeks in Africa on a safari and to see the Victoria falls. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your day. Have a great weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.
For some reason I wasn't getting your posts, and had to re-subscribe. I may have accidentally deleted it from my list when I was cleaning up my blog list, but I don't recall doing that on purpose. I am glad to get reconnected, and to find that you have been away, so I probably didn't miss much. Glad you are back safe and sound, even if it is winter where you are. Praying for you to re-acclimate with not problem. Interesting news about Kenya. We are trying to be more diligent in America about illegal immigration, as I am sure you are aware if you see our news at all. It is a major problem, but not everyone agrees. So we pray for wise solutions.
May you have a blessed weekend and take care. God bless you always.
Lovely shots! Sorry to hear about the harder visa limits.
Always pray for peace in this world,sad when it is disrupted
Both a big culture change as well as weather change coming back to Vancouver! I like the photo looking down on the city with the great view.
I love that pretty zebra. The new ID numbers and shorter visas sound hard to deal with.
Great picture of a zebra. Glad you did not have a problem with your Visa and that you were safe.
Glad your home safe xxx
welcome home to Canada.
sorry to hear about visa.
have a great day
Scary hearing of a terrorist attack nearby where you plan to stay, glad all went well though and it was peaceful while you were there. Great photos and glad that you are back home and safe despite the cold. We are unseasonally hot here not sure what is happening to the weather! Have a good week Diane
Thank you for sharing this bit of information, really appreciated it.
I can understand the reason for their changes, but it certainly will effect those who are not a problem.
God was certainly looking after you, praise the Lord!
Those are somene beautiful photos, very clear looking at the buildings, and oh the zebra, WOW!
Your poor pots look so {{cold}} and lonely out there.
Winter has certainly made it's appearance everywhere, but it is such a good thing in the way of moisture.
I returned home from Arizona to some very high snow banks! My husband had to shovel some roofs here on the property while I was away and the motor home.
Arizona was cold rainy and windy while I was there, very unusual. I never did wear my sandals. :-)
Thank you for stopping in for a visit,I always enjoy seeing you in my in box.:-)
Have a lovely day~
It is harder and harder to be able to travel internationally, but I can imagine and understand about the restrictions in a place such as Kenya. I am glad for the Lord's protection over you while you were there and going to and from. I'm glad you are home but also look forward to seeing the pictures from Kenya. xx
I agree with Dianna, it is really awful to travel these days. We always see on TV masses of people being stuck at train stations or airports in Italy. Here in Sicily recently planes have been affected because ot the ash pouring out Mt. Etna, so Catania airport was closed and planes rerouted to Palermo or whatever. Here in Trapani the airport is practically non-existing ever since Ryan Airlines left, tired of the Sicilian bureaucracy.
I heard about the terror attack and knew you were abroad at the time, hoping it wasn't where you were. So I was very glad when you started posting and commenting again. It sounds as though there is a lot of change, good and bad. I hope it shakes out well in the end. Loved the Zebra pic!
I am sure winter was a bit of a shock to the system … we are in the midst of another snowstorm as I type this. Yippee!
I'm learning so much about Kenya through your posts and photos. Thank The Lord for keeping you safe. I'm not able to travel and always enjoy reading about other countries. Living in upstate NY we too have had a true winter this year. Have a blessed day ahead.
Interesting. I have friends who go to Kenya a lot. This will effect them also.
I like the photo of the Zebra! I don't mind winter weather, so returning to it would not bother me.
I am glad you were safe during your time there.
I'm glad you were safe on this trip too. Beautiful photos and a pretty snowy scene when you got home. Tell that flock of birds to fly South!!! Thanks for taking the time to visit me today! I appreciate it so much! Hugs, Diane lavender dreams too
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