According to the immigration department, the newly implemented Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system has generated around Ksh.158.8 million (USD 1 million) for the State, with 32,000 foreigners using it.
According to new data from the Immigration Department, nearly 25,000 of the received petitions were successfully processed, while 110 were refused due to security concerns. The remaining applications are now being processed at various stages.
Principal Secretary for Immigration and Citizen Services Julius Bitok anticipates an increase in revenue from the platform in the coming weeks.
“We have been able to generate USD 1 million (approx. Ksh.158.8 million) in the last one week. This is much needed foreign exchange. The number of tourists coming has increased because we have made travelling to Kenya easy,” he said in a statement to newsrooms on Thursday.
He said implementing ETA aims to improve security and acquire critical passenger information ahead of time, in line with a global trend in travel standards.
“Many countries in Europe and America have already introduced ETA, and in doing the same, Kenya is being a trailblazer in Africa as it has always been,” he said.
Furthermore, the PS stated that the ETA system, which has replaced the Visa as a travel requirement for admission into Kenya, is being examined and enhanced to shorten application and approval turnaround times.
Bitok also revealed that the requirement to include personal bank statements in the ETA application and other non-essential facts has been removed to improve the application form's usability.
The decision by the Immigration Department comes barely a month after President William Ruto scrapped visa requirements for all international travelers beginning in January 2024.
This he stated during the 60th Jamhuri Day festivities at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi, where he underlined that the abolishment is in line with the country's embrace of globalization and openness of borders to spur socio-economic development.
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