Kenya has played a leading role in lowering barriers to the movement of people in the east African region. It has also made huge strides in protecting Kenyan emigrants working abroad. But there are still gaps in how it creates and implements domestic immigration and employment policies.
In 2023, according to the Visa Openness Report, Kenya moved up from 31st place in Africa for visa openness to 29th place out of 54 African countries. The Africa Visa Openness Index measures the extent to which African countries are open to visitors from other African countries.
This mediocre performance fails to mirror the important role Kenya has played in regional integration in east Africa and the Horn of Africa, which includes the movement of people. It has done this through the East African Community and in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the regional structure for the Horn.
