Kenyans will now travel easily to South Africa after the nation lifted some travel restrictions to guarantee a less stringent documentation process.

According to a new agreement reached Monday in Pretoria by Kenya’s Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i and South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba,  Kenyans who frequently travel to SA will be eligible for three-year multiple entry visas effective December 1, 2018.

Kenya’s Business and Academia community will get multiple entry visas valid for up to 10 years to South Africa while government officials on official business to South Africa will get a three-month free visa with immediate effect.

The two countries also announced plans to ease travel restrictions even further by scrapping off short-term and transit visas altogether.

“The deliberations also set up a 3-month technical team, from both countries, to review the total exemption of temporary visas for ordinary passport holders,” Matiang’i said in a statement.

SOUTH AFRICA TO ISSUE STUDY VISAS FOR KENYAN STUDENTS 

South Africa also agreed to Kenya’s proposal to issue study visas valid for the duration of studies.

South Africa was reportedly reciprocating Kenya’s decision to set up a “more responsive and straightforward” online application process for short-term visas for visitors from all African countries in a move president Uhuru Kenyatta said was aimed at fostering Pan-African brotherhood and fraternity.

Currently, Africans visiting Kenya for less than 30 days do not need Kenyan visas while those intending to stay longer are issued with visas upon arrival at the point of entry through the online e-visa platform.

Kenya Airways has an average of three non-stop daily flights from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to South Africa.