Kenya drops in latest passport ranking
Kenya dropped one place in the latest Henley Global Passport Index despite President Ruto’s commitment to have Kenya become a visa-free country
Kenya dropped one place in the latest Henley Global Passport Index despite President Ruto’s commitment to have Kenya become a visa-free country.
According to the report covering the first quarter of 2025, Kenya dropped from 67th position to 68th position out of 199 global passports that grant access to 227 travel destinations.
In the index, Kenya’s passport enables Kenyans to travel visa-free to 74 countries among them Rwanda, Haiti, the Philippines, Hong Kong, the British Virgin Islands, and South Africa.
On the flip side, a Kenyan travelling abroad will require a visa to travel to 152 destinations such as the United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland, North Korea, and France.
The recent ranking comes amidst President Ruto’s commitment to have Kenya become a visa-free country in a move aimed at attracting foreign nationals into the country to boost the economy.
To that effect, Ruto’s government introduced the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to be issued to all visitors entering the country. The cost of the ETA was set at Ksh4,600(USD 30). Ruto explained that the decision to abolish visa requirements followed the scientific discovery that Turkana County was the cradle of mankind.
The ETA directive was met with mixed feelings from Kenyans and relevant stakeholders in different sectors of the country.
A section for the new directive argued that it would increase revenue collection but those against the move posited that it would discourage citizens who are entering the country visa-free as they would be required to part with the ETA fee.
Since its implementation, the ETA system has undergone a raft of changes.
Most recently, the government announced that all travelers must apply and pay for the ETA before their journey to Kenya. In the past, travelers had the option of applying for the ETA once they had jetted into the country.
The report revealed that Kenya’s passport strength in the African region remained relatively strong with Kenya ranked amongst the top ten countries. Kenya came in at eighth position in the list that is led by Seychelles which has a global ranking of 25.
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Other countries in the top ten are Mauritius, South Africa, and Botswana with a global ranking of 29, 48, and 57 respectively. Namibia, Lesotho, and Malawi also featured on the African top 10 with the three countries ranking at 62, 64, and 67 respectively. Morocco and Tanzania rounded off the top 10 tying at number 69 globally.
According to the report, Kenya retained their dominance in the East African region as the region’s strongest passport.
This regional supremacy, however, is a far cry from global heavyweights such as Singapore, Japan, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, and Spain whose passports grant their citizens access to over 190 countries globally.
The Henley Global Passport Index compares the visa-free access of 199 passports to 227 travel destinations worldwide and highlights the fluctuating fortunes of countries in facilitating global mobility for their citizens.
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