Last week, a friend was denied Visa to visit Canada on the grounds that she was single, her payslip did not have much, she owns no land, and therefore, once in Canada, she has nothing worth coming back home for.
The ways Eastern and Western countries treat Africans (Kenyans) who want to visit the countries are just on another level. People from Kenya and other African, before visiting some of the Western countries, they are treated as suspects, beggars, and people who want to run away from their own country.
Ironically, other people from China and other Western countries, when they want to come to Kenya or some other African countries, they are at liberty to jet in at any given time and be granted Visas on arrival.
READ: 50 Million Cigarettes Are Smoked Per Second In China
Did you know that the Chinese can get Visa on arrival in the following countries and even more:
Kenya
Ethiopia
Uganda
Tanzania
Zimbabwe
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Botswana
READ: China’s Avocado Conditions Still Tough Even as it Reduces Tariffs to 7%
Now, try showing the intention of flying to China, if you lack the heart and the zeal of pressing on, you will give up on the first day of trying. Here are some of the conditions that you MUST fulfill before visiting China as a Kenyan:
Your Passport must be valid for at least 6 months and have at least 2 blank pages at the time of application.
2 recent passport-size color photographs taken against a white background with matte-finish (size 48 mm x 33 mm and 70% face close-up)
Duly completed and signed Visa application form. The application form should be electronically filled. A handwritten form will NOT be accepted.
Cover letter; This cover letter must be well written and formatted clearly. It must mention the reason you are visiting China, how your trip is being funded, your itinerary and our intention to return to Kenya after your visit.
Proof of financial stability to support the travel plan i.e Bank statements reflecting transactions of the last 6 months or your payslips.
Itinerary of your stay in China
Your accommodation details; hotel reservation details (online portal bookings not accepted)
China is not only tough on us visiting them, but how we do business with them too. The Government of Kenya was all pomp and colors, celebrating and bragging on how they had managed to “convince” China to allow avocado fruits from Kenya to China. But did they ever look at the conditions given by China?
The avocado deal came with some tough conditions in handling and exporting avocados such as requiring farmers to install machines and coolers to peel and freeze avocados.
The Chinese market currently requires avocado farmers exporting the commodity to freeze the fruit to negative 30 degrees Celsius after peeling, then chill to a further negative 18 degrees Celsius during transit.
READ: 5 Things You Should Avoid Posting On Social Media
Visa-exempt Nationals Allowed to Visit Kenya
There are more than 40 countries who nationals are all allowed to visit Kenya and get Visa on arrival.
Barbados
Belize
Botswana
Brunei
Burundi
Cyprus
Dominica
Ethiopia
Fiji
The Gambia
Ghana
Grenada
Jamaica
Kiribati
Lesotho
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mauritius
Namibia
Nauru
Papua New Guinea
Rwanda
St Kitts & Nevis
St. Lucia
Saint Vincent & Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Salomon Islands
South Africa
Swaziland
Tanzania
Tonga
Trinidad & Tobago
Tuvalu
Uganda
Vanuatu
Zambia
Zimbabwe
China
There are more than 17 countries that Kenyans can visit without Visa and acquire them on arrival. They are:
Benin
Burundi
Botswana
Ethiopia
Gambia
Ghana
Lesotho
Malawi
Mauritius
Namibia
Rwanda
Senegal
Swaziland
Tanzania
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
READ: Top 10 Africa’s Biggest Borrowers From China In The Last Decade