Nairobi, Kenya — Kenya has announced visa-free travel for up to 180 days for citizens of East African Community (EAC) partner states—Burundi, DRC, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda—but excluded Somalia, despite its official EAC membership and close geographic, cultural, and economic ties with Kenya.
The move comes amid Kenya’s broader policy of lifting visa restrictions for all African nations, yet Somalia and Libya remain the only African countries still required to obtain visas, raising questions about Nairobi’s selective implementation of its open-border pledge. The Kenyan government has not provided a public explanation for Somalia’s omission.
Somalia, which joined the EAC in 2024, has expressed disappointment over the decision. A senior Somali diplomat said the exclusion undermines the spirit of regional integration, while Somali lawmakers and civil society groups called the policy discriminatory. Despite Kenya benefiting economically from Somali investments and diaspora activity, security concerns are believed to be behind the decision.
Observers argue such issues could have been handled through targeted protocols rather than blanket exclusion, especially given Somalia’s ongoing reforms and improving stability. Somali MPs are now urging both the federal government and the EAC Secretariat to push for full inclusion. As the new visa regime takes effect, Somalis are left questioning Kenya’s commitment to regional unity: “Why not us?”