Kenya abolishes visa for Djibouti citizens
National
By
Jacob Ng'etich
| Jun 11, 2023
President William Ruto has said Djibouti residents will no longer require visas to visit Kenya.
Speaking during the second session of the Joint Commission for Cooperation meeting, President Ruto and Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh, agreed to strengthen bilateral relations in strategic sectors such as health, Information and Communication Technology, education, energy and agriculture.
"To promote people-to-people interactions, trade, and investment, I am firmly committed to eliminating the barriers imposed by visa requirements for Djiboutian citizens travelling to Kenya. Therefore, Kenya has concluded
necessary procedures to enable visa-free visits for citizens of Djibouti to Kenya," said Ruto.
The two presidents agreed to resume direct flights between Kenya and Djibouti, including the review of the existing Bilateral Air Service Agreement, to address existing challenges.
Ruto said in order to improve coordination on labour migration and ensure predictability, they will accelerate the negotiation and finalisation of a comprehensive labor agreement between the two countries.
"In this regard, I express my gratitude to my esteemed counterpart for hosting over 600 Kenyan professionals in Djibouti. To facilitate this process, we have established a Joint Technical Committee dedicated to these efforts.
"We have further agreed to expedite the negotiation of a framework that enables the reciprocal recognition of certificates issued by our respective institutions of higher learning" he said.
The president said 300 Djiboutian students in institutions of higher learning will pay fees like local students.
"Additionally, we engaged in discussions regarding support for English language training and its integration into Djibouti's curricula. Kenya is fully prepared to provide support and the necessary teachers to assist in this endeavour," he said.
Ruto thanked the Djibutian President for engaging Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) to help the country generate power.
Under the project, he said, KenGen will drill two geothermal wells in Djibouti where it had already completed phase one of the contract with the Office Djiboutien De Development De Energie Geothermique and successfully drilled one geothermal well in the Galla Le Koma project's initial phase.
Kenya also signed an MoU on Technical Cooperation in the Development of Youth Affairs and the Arts, which establishes a collaboration framework in the development of sports and arts facilities.