Kenya orders mandatory rapid test for travellers from 11 countries

Travellers from 11 countries will have to undergo a mandatory rapid antigen test before entering the country, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) has directed.

The countries include South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Eswatini (Swaziland), Lesotho, Ghana, Namibia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Zambia.

The directive follows a rise in the cases of the new omicron variant in the said countries. 

KCAA noted that the list of countries will be updated periodically depending on the evolution of the variant globally.

The rapid test will help curb and reduce the number of falsified documents that may have contributed to the rise of Covid-19 cases in the country.

The rapid antigen test will be free of charge.

Other general travel requirements, like providing a certificate of the COVID-19 vaccination for passengers above 18 years and a COVID-19 negative PCR test certificate conducted within 72 hours, remain unchanged.

The directive comes a day after Kenya Airways suspended passenger flights to Dubai following a 48-hour flights ban by the Middle East country over a surge in Covid-19 cases in Kenya.

The national carrier said on Tuesday that it would refund passengers who had booked tickets for travel within the suspension period.

Travellers will be allowed to book tickets when flights resume.

Editted by Bosco Marita