DR Congo has removed visa requirements for Kenyans effective September 1.
The reciprocal gesture happened barely a week after Kenya lifted visa restrictions for Congolese nationals.
DRC’s Director General of Migration Roland Kashwantale Chihoza in a statement said the two countries had agreed to remove visa barriers to enhance trade and integration within the East African Community (EAC).
DR Congo officially joined the EAC last year as its seventh member, with the signing of the Treaty of Accession at State House, Nairobi, with then EAC Chair and Kenya’s former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The move followed DRC’s fulfillment of the conditions outlined in Articles 3 and 4 of the Treaty for the establishment of the EAC.
Kenya so far has visa-free agreements with five countries and is mulling over opening its doors to all African citizens.
As a matter of fact, President William Ruto announced plans to abolish visa requirements for foreign travelers.
“We are having a conversation as Kenyans that in a few months, we are seriously considering abolishing any visa requirements because it is unfair to ask anybody coming home for a visa,” the president told delegates attending the just-ended Africa Climate Summit.
