KENYA, UGANDA, RWANDA TOURIST VISA REGULATIONS
No security risk for common East African Tourist Visa
BY PROF. DR. WOLFGANG H. THOME, ETN AFRICA CORRESPONDENT | MAY 24, 2014
Impeccable sources from across the three East African countries of
Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya have confirmed that there is growing anger
among the three over continued suggestions by Tanzania, that the
recently launched common tourist Visa, which allows foreign visitors
to enter all three countries on one cost reduced Visa, is a security
risk.
While understandably none of the officials was ready to go on record
they left no doubt either that their 'bosses' were fed up with the
rumour mongering by Tanzanian officials with one specifically stating:
'Let them stay out of the fast tracking union which Uganda, Rwanda and
Kenya have formed to advance several key issues which were not going
forward because one member country constantly slammed on the brakes.
Let them stay out of the common Visa but at least honestly admit it is
for their own political reasons. But let them also stop to give
rubbish reasons like security risks. The three countries which have
embraced the common tourist Visa are using all the same criteria to
grant one common tourist Visa which they use to grant their single
entry Visa for Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya. Suggestions that there are
lower standards in place, that we are risking the security of our
three countries by just issuing the common tourist Visa without checks
and cross referrals to international data bases, are absolute rubbish
and ill intentioned. All our border posts are linked to a common data
base and use fingerprint and facial recognition technology for every
person entering, be it our own nationals or our tourist visitors. With
due respect, their minister has either been misled by his officials
over the true picture or worse he is misleading the public. I can only
say he should stop playing with security issues of which he may lack
detailed information for the sole reason of his and his master's
mudslinging campaign. Sitta's [Tanzania's Minister for East African
Affairs] comments about the 1970's are a dead giveaway where their
mindset is and it is good this is coming out in the open for everyone
to see'.
The common Visa is gaining growing popularity at a cost of 100 US
Dollars for a three months tourist Visa, allowing the holder to visit
Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya without added cost and bureaucracy, though on
entry tourists are subjected to the same finger print and facial
recognition entry procedures as every other person who has to obtain a
Visa or even citizens of the three countries. In addition have the
three countries started to exhibit under one expanded stand at major
international tourist trade shows in order to portray the
commonalities as one region with many attractions and while continuing
to woo Burundi, a country where tourism has now finally risen to a
higher standing on the national agenda, to join the initiative and
benefit from increased visitor numbers.
'It is sad that Kikwete has led Tanzania back to the 70's mentality
after Mwinyi and Mkapa were much more committed to engage with the
neighbours in East Africa. The last 9 years of the Kikwete rule were
marked by increasing lipservice but decreasing real engagement and
integration with the partner states and that is an opinion which you
will hear from the business community and the wananchi, even if our
politicians are trying to be nice about it and use diplomatic language
to gloss over the rift' added a regular contributor from Kampala,
echoing what has been said many times before to this correspondent
during his travels across the region.
Added an air operator from Uganda: 'As long as Tanzania insists on
treating us like foreign airlines and prohibit us from flying our
clients to points beyond the designated entry airports like
Kilimanjaro or Dar, make us pay in Dollars and demand at least 48
hours clearance time, I see no real improvements the EAC has
accomplished for the aviation sector. They launched CASSOA but that is
increasingly seen as just another layer of bureaucracy because permits
and approvals given by them still have to be duplicated by the
national regulators, instead as we were promised serving as a one stop
centre for the region'.
Considering the present challenges Kenya has after the knee jerk
reaction by British touroperators to evacuate their tourists following
an extraordinarily hostile anti-travel advisory by the British Foreign
and Commonwealth Office last week, are neighbours Uganda and Rwanda
standing by Kenya and from the look of it are intensifying their
promotional efforts to portray the region as by and large a safe zone
for tourist visitors who should not fear to visit the three countries
and explore the range of unique attractions each of them offers.
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--
SIBOMANA Jean Bosco
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Posted by: Jean Bosco Sibomana <sibomanaxyz999@gmail.com>
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