Kenya has announced that Zimbabwean nationals will be exempt from paying the US$34 Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) fee when applying to visit the country.

Zimbabwean citizens already enjoyed visa-free entry into Kenya before the eTA system was put in place. Zimbabwe is the latest southern African country to receive the eTA exemption after Kenya allowed nationals from South Africa, the Comoros, the Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Mozambique to enter the country without paying the fee in February 2024. 

These countries are exempt from paying for the eTA on condition that an agreement has been concluded for visa abolition or waivers prior to the introduction of the eTA system. The countries above are still, however, required to apply for the eTA. East African Community member states, including Burundi, the DRC, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, are the only countries not required to apply for the eTA. 

The eTA came into effect at the beginning of 2024 as part of a plan to provide visa-free entry to all travellers. The new rules were met with mixed reactions, particularly from previously visa-exempt countries.