Kenyan president scraps visa requirement for Mozambique

Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta has told Mozambicans that they will no longer require a visa to visit his country.

Kenyatta announced the scrapping of the visa requirement during a state banquet hosted for him and First Lady Margaret Kenyatta by President Filipe Nyusi and the First Lady of Mozambique, Isaura Nyusi, at the Ponta Vermelha Palace in Maputo on Thursday evening.

“Our forefathers fought for political liberation. It falls upon us to ensure economic liberation to ensure the artificial boundaries created by former colonial masters are removed and that our people are free to travel, trade, do business and marry without obstacles,” President Kenyatta said.

Mozambique Citizens will no longer require a Visa to get into Kenya. Our forefathers fought for political liberation. It falls upon us to ensure the artificial boundaries created by colonial masters are removed & our people are free to travel,do business & marry without obstacles pic.twitter.com/J0kNAElYjr

— President of Kenya (@PresidentKE) March 30, 2018

President Kenyatta added that Kenya will this year open a consulate in Maputo with the aim of having a full mission next financial year.

Noting that there were seasoned Kiswahili speakers in both Mozambique and Kenya, President Kenyatta said that placed an added responsibility on the two countries to promote Swahili, which is now officially an African Union (AU) language.

The African Union is pursuing an ambitious integration agenda that includes free trade, free movement of persons, a single african sky and common currency among others.

Mozambique and Kenya are among the forty four African countries that signed the agreement to establish a continental free trade area in Rwanda last week.

Agencies