Kenya, Egypt working towards visa free regime by October 2023

Kenya and Egypt have agreed to finalize discussions on a free visa regime for ordinary passports by October 1 this year. This was revealed after Kenya’s Foreign affairs minister held bilateral discussions in Cairo with his Egyptian counterpart.

The 100 pc free visa regime will promote tourism, grow trade and support economic free flow of people and goods as envisioned by the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.

During a meeting in Cairo between Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Alfred Mutual and his Egyptian counterpart H.E Sameh Shoukry, the two agreed on ways to enhance the social, political and economic cooperation between the two countries with emphasis on immediate and sustainable benefits.

Other areas of cooperation include the export of Kenyan Tea, Coffee, Nuts, Meat, Wheat and Flower to Egypt, Fertilizer and Irrigation Programs – Dams, Boreholes, Rail, Road and Connectivity, Scholarships and Diaspora Matters, issues of the Nile, Green Energy, and reforming the financial sector.

The two Ministers agreed to hold the 7th Kenya-Egypt Joint Commission for Cooperation (JCC) within weeks, to solidify and expand trade deals between both countries for fast and effective benefits in several areas.