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.
