Security fears cloud plan for an open-border policy

It will take longer to implement a presidential directive to open borders to visitors from continental Africa.

It is also unclear when regulations to guide the entry of visitors will be implemented.

President Uhuru Kenyatta made the declaration on his swearing in on November 28.

Director of Immigration Joseph Kihalangwa said there was a lot of work to be done before visitors start getting visas on arrival.

“It is still a subject of discussion, but we are waiting for guidance,” Maj Gen (Rtd) Kihalangwa.

He added that the pronouncement by the Head of State was a declaration of intent, but administrative decisions will be made before unrestricted access can be granted to visitors.

Top on the list of concerns arising from the directive was safety since the country would in effect have set itself up as an easy target for attack.

Kihalangwa said such fears are informing the ongoing discussions.

“Today, I am directing that any African wishing to visit Kenya will be eligible to receive a visa at the port of entry,” said the President in his acceptance speech, adding that the effectiveness of the directive would not be pegged to reciprocity.

He appeared to have been throwing a punch at Tanzania which has failed to reciprocate on concessions made by Kenya, in allowing free trade among the East African countries.

“…to our brothers and sisters in the East African Community, you are our closest friends; our fate and yours is joined at the hip; our troubles and triumphs are yours, and yours are ours. I will work with you, my brothers, the leaders of the East African Community, to bring a renewed energy and optimism to our union,” he said.

Kenyatta won praise for the declaration which many thought would take effect immediately.

Deportation

But the uncertainty facing the possible execution puts a damper on what would be a huge initiative to promote the free movement of goods and people in Africa.

President Kenyatta’s move gives fresh impetus to the Pan-Africanism dream that has remained elusive since the regime of his father.

Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and other founding presidents across the continent such as the late Libya leader Muammar Gaddafi tried unsuccessfully to implement the open borders policy to promote trade.

Presently, products from different countries are first exported to Europe or Asia before being re-exported to Africa.

In the current arrangement, travel from Kenya to many West African destinations, for instance, is cheaper when routed outside the continent.

Consequently, competitiveness in doing business within the continent is poor.

Kenyatta said the free movement of people in Africa was a cornerstone of Pan-African brotherhood and fraternity.

“The freer we are to travel and live with one another, the more integrated and appreciative of our diversity we will become,” Kenyatta said. He cautioned that the political divisions in Africa risked the mutual security of the different countries.

Mandera North MP Bashir Abdullahi is a big supporter for the open borders policy.

However, the MP, who is also a security analyst , has huge reservations about the directive as this risks exposing the country to external threats.

Major (rtd) Bashir told Saturday Standard that the open border policy was good for trade but a significant burden for security.

“The directive will put a lot of pressure on our security systems and personnel,” he said.

Vetting of prospective visitors in their home countries before travel means those considered dangerous would be barred from boarding a plane or alternative modes of transport.

“Persons who would naturally not be cleared from their home countries to come to Kenya will show up at our borders especially airports and then granted visas,” said Bashir.

His other fear is the cost implications on the country when unwanted visitors are supposed to be deported.

“What happens if you find some people not suitable to get visa at the entry point? Return them? At whose cost?” he posed.

Several countries require visitors to have a return ticket to cut costs in case of deportation.

Political turmoil in Somalia has bred dangerous militants, including the al-Shabaab, which has staged several attacks on Kenyan soil including at the Westgate Shopping Mall and more recently, at the Garissa University College.

Somalis already form the biggest portion of the refugees in Kenya, many living in the country illegally. Many have been assimilated into the community and are living as naturalised citizens, albeit illegally.

Kenyatta has already ordered the closure of the Africa’s largest refugee camp, Dadaab, in Garissa. Hundreds of the refugees are evacuated weekly from the camp following the formal declaration about closure, amid objection from the international community.

It is unclear what the directive on open borders would be for such people, specifically, as it would mean they would be welcome back being Africans.