Kenyans seeking to travel to different destinations across the world are always forced to cut short their trips due to Visa-related hitches that can be avoided in the application process.

The issue involving Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinard Omanyala, who is set to take part in 100m championships in Oregon in the US, lifted the lid on the headache and stress most Kenyans face while planning their journeys.

Other than obtaining a passport, some countries require Kenyan travellers to apply for a Visa, which comes at a fee.

The basic requirements in filling visa forms include family and given name, gender, date of birth, country of passport, passport number, passport date of issue and passport date of expiry, as well as place of issue.

Most travellers receive their approved e-Visas within 72 hours of application.

Common Mistakes

Kenyans are in most cases denied Visas due to mistakes made while completing the application forms or for leaving out some crucial information.

Different embassies expect Kenyans to provide exact details that match those in their passports. Any differences in spelling lead to automatic rejection of the application.

Most Kenyans make mistakes when filling in passport number, date of issue and expiry date fields. Mistakes are made when copying the digits and this may deem the whole process null and void.

Most embassies do not accept any applications with missing information.

While completing the Visa form, Kenyan travellers must upload an image of their passport, a recent passport-size photograph, and proof of travel. Failing to fill the form as stated amounts to disqualification.

Embassies reject applications with passports that do not show all the information clearly. The use of flashlights should be avoided as it causes reflections affecting the clarity of communication.

Others miss out by failing to present the correct size of a passport-size photograph, which does not align with the format stated in the application form.

The proof of travel relevant to the applicant’s reason for visiting should be uploaded. Tourists require a hotel reservation and onward flight tickets. Failing to present the evidence of travel calls for immediate disqualification by any given Embassy.

Kenyans travelling for other purposes such as medical and business must also upload corresponding documentation. Failure to do so prevents the Visa from being approved.

Options for Kenyans who have been denied Visas

Based on the issue, Kenyans who are blocked from travelling due to Visa hitches are given second chances by Embassies and consulates.

Those with mistakes are allowed to correct any errors they made before submitting new requests. 

However, the Visa application fee is non-refundable. For any new application, Kenyans must pay the required fee again.

If the process is rejected, Kenyans who apply through travelling agencies may be refunded some of the application fees.

A Visa still does not guarantee a Kenyan entry to the country of destination. The permit only indicates that a Kenyan traveller is eligible to enter the other country abroad.

Immigration officers conduct inspections and determine whether a Kenyan may enter the country based on immigration laws.

Visas validity varies with the country. An entry Visa to Kenya is valid for a period of three months from the day it was issued.

However, there has been a global delay in the processing of visas and this has affected millions of travellers. 

The British High Commissioner to Nairobi, Jane Marriott, recently admitted that her office was overwhelmed by the growing demand and the backlog created during the pandemic.

Marriott advised Kenyans to apply for their visas six weeks before the travel date to give the Embassy ample time to process them.

She emphasised that Kenyans were not the only ones affected by the delayed process. 

“I know how inconvenienced many of you are. I am sorry. It is a global challenge, not a Kenyan problem only,” the envoy stated.

Source: Kenyans

Business executives in Kenya are optimistic about growth prospect of their companies and the wider economy post election.

According to the latest Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) Business Confidence Index, the business community is upbeat about this year’s post-election economic stability unlike in previous years.

The survey reported a confidence index reading of 61, compared to 44 and 53.8 index points in 2017 and 2012 respectively, when fear of violence and disruptions was high. 

With a backdrop of previous cases of electoral violence, it was assumed that some violence would occur which created protection concerns.

However, a high rating this year means most CEOs are expecting a stable economy at least six months after the August 9 polls.

Most business executives also expressed optimism to hire additional full-time employees in the next six months, which will translate to increased business operations.

Conducted between July 4 and July 25, the survey engaged a total of 173 business leaders from medium and large businesses.

It sought views on selected sector indicators including business confidence and optimism, current quarter business activity, and outlook for business activity in the near term.

Most CEOs are counting on a smooth power transition for the economic conditions to improve across all industries compared to six months ago.

Specifically, there is rise in optimism and business expectations for the tourism and hospitality sectors at 85 index points and wholesale and retail at 70 index points.

The least optimistic sectors are finance and ICT, probably because businesses in these sectors were already experiencing growth relative to other sectors at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, hence executives do not expect much change in the coming six months.

These sentiments are reported against the backdrop of the Russia Ukraine War that disrupted value chains, resulting in fuel, energy, wheat and fertiliser price increase.

This was further compounded by the rising inflation in Kenya and across the globe as well as the extended drought.

Even so, majority of business owners are certain that the economy will continue to grow after elections.

The economy grew by 6.8 per cent in the first three months of the year, the highest in 22 years according to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) data.

This was mainly supported by rebounds in most economic activities that contracted significantly in the first quarter of 2021 due to measures instituted to curb the spread of Covid-19.

According to the survey business executives remain sckeptical about the possibility of reduced production costs due to the prevailing high fuel, raw materials, and other input costs that are expected to go up, thus projecting lower industry growth prospects over the next six months.

They foresee prices of goods and services increasing after elections.

“For the 23 per cent expecting lower growth prospects for their companies and the 29 per cent expecting lower growth prospects for their industries, these expectations were tied to failure to address the high-cost production, inflation, rise in fuel prices,” Victor Ogalo, KEPSA deputy CEO said.

The report shows business executives are encouraged by the implementation of key policies and ongoing infrastructure improvement initiatives as well as the various business support subsidies by the government.

In addition to these efforts, executives now want tax concessions and the lowering of raw material prices to improve the business environment.

Source: The Star

IATA has again called on the Canadian Government to urgently discontinue its COVID-19 related travel restrictions. These are now out of step with the global trend of lifting travel restrictions and are partly responsible for the ongoing delays and disruption affecting air travelers across Canada.

“Canada has become a total outlier in managing COVID-19 and travel. Though governments across the globe are rolling back restrictions, the Government of Canada is reinstating them. The government should follow the lead of its peers, including, for example, Australia. Though that country had some of the toughest travel restrictions during the height of the pandemic, it has now lifted them, including the vaccination requirement. Rather than following this example and enabling travel and tourism to recover, those in power in Canada believe that throwing more red tape at the pandemic is the way forward,” said Peter Cerda, IATA’s Regional Vice President for the Americas.

IATA is calling on the Government of Canada to quickly address the following issues:

• Remove random testing of international arriving passengers
  If, as announced, random testing is reinstated from 19 July 2022, then travelers will be forced to either go to a designated testing center or administer a self-test after arrival. In case of a positive test result, travelers must isolate for 10 days, which is twice as long as the average isolation period recommend by any provincial or territorial health authority in Canada and once again singles out travelers compared with the rest of the population.
• End the vaccination requirement for international travel
  The vaccination mandate for international travel to Canada is in essence obsolete, as only the basic immunization and no booster shots are required to be considered fully vaccinated. In addition, the proof of vaccination is no longer used in everyday life in Canada. Ending this travel-related mandate would remove the need for the manual and time-intensive documentation check at flight origins outside Canada and during immigration upon arrival.
• Use ArriveCAN solely as an entry tool for customs
  The removal of the vaccination mandate would also allow ArriveCAN to be used solely for customs and immigration purposes and not for capturing and validating COVID-19 related health and vaccination information. This is what is slowing down border processing. In addition, airlines are now being asked to provide a list of passengers who have not completed ArriveCAN not later than one hour after the departure of an international flight to Canada. This is tying up critical staff at a time when resources are already stretched to the limit.
• Ending Mask Mandates
  Mask mandates at airports and on aircraft need to be withdrawn, especially since they are no longer in place in most public settings in Canada, including public transport and sporting venues.

“After more than two-years of onerous COVID-19 restrictions people want to be able to travel again, as we can clearly see from the current level of demand. Ramping up the entire value chain has come with some challenges. Maintaining outdated COVID-19 restrictions contributes to the delays passengers are experiencing at major Canadian international gateways. Governments need to ensure that travel restrictions are designed to address today’s environment, not the environment of the previous two years. Now is the time for the Government of Canada to join its counterparts around the world and remove unnecessary and outdated measures,” said Cerda.

Source: Airlines.

Canceled flights. Long lines. Staff walkouts. Missing luggage. 

Sound familiar? The chaos engulfing many major airports in North America and Europe since summer hasn’t abated much, and news outlets and social media users continue to report on hordes of impatient travelers and mountains of misplaced suitcases.

Just this week, German carrier Lufthansa canceled nearly all its flights in Frankfurt and Munich, stranding some 130,000 travelers due to a one-day walkout by its ground staff who were on strike for better pay.  

London’s Heathrow Airport and Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport — two of the largest travel hubs in Europe —slashed their passenger capacity and demanded that airlines cut flights in and out of their airports, which angered both travelers and airline managers.

Carriers in the U.S. have also canceled and delayed tens of thousands of flights due to staffing shortages and weather issues. 

Airlines are vocally laying the blame on airports and governments. On Monday, the chief financial officer of low-cost European carrier Ryanair, Neil Sorahan, complained that airports “had one job to do.”

But many of those working in the industry say airlines are partly responsible for staff shortages as well, and the situation is becoming dire enough that it could threaten safety. 

CNBC spoke to several pilots flying for major airlines, all of whom described fatigue due to long hours and what they said was opportunism and a desire to cut costs as part of a toxic “race to the bottom” culture pervading the industry and worsening the messy situation that travelers are facing today.

All the airline staff spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak to the press.   

‘Absolute carnage’

“From a passenger point of view, it’s an absolute nightmare,” a pilot for European low-cost carrier easyJet told CNBC. 

“Leading into the summer, it was absolute carnage because airlines didn’t know what they were doing. They didn’t have a proper plan in place. All they knew they wanted to do was try and fly as much as humanly possible – almost as if the pandemic had never happened,” the pilot said. 

“But they forgot that they’d cut all of their resources.”

The ensuing imbalance has “made our life an absolute mess, both cabin crew and pilots,” the pilot added, explaining how a shortage of ground staff since the pandemic layoffs — those who handle baggage, check-in, security and more — has created a domino effect that’s throwing a wrench into flying schedules.

“A bit of a toxic soup … the airports and the airlines share an equal level of blame” – Pilot – Emirates Airlines.

In a statement, easyJet said that the health and wellbeing of employees is “our highest priority,” stressing that “we take our responsibilities as an employer very seriously and employ our people on local contracts on competitive terms and in line with local legislation.”

The industry is now hobbled by a combination of factors: not having enough resources for retraining, former staff not wanting to return, and poor pay that has largely remained suppressed since pandemic-era cuts, despite significantly improved revenue for airlines. 

“They’ve told us pilots we are on pay cuts until at least 2030 — except all the managers are back on full pay plus pay rises for inflation,” a pilot for British Airways said. 

“Various governments with their restrictions and no support for the aviation sector” as well as airport companies are in large part to blame for the current chaos, the pilot said, adding that “some airlines took advantage of the situation to cut salaries, make new contracts and lay people off, and now that things are back to normal they can’t cope.”

While many airports and airlines are now recruiting and offering better pay, the required training programs and security clearance processors are also severely cut back and overwhelmed, further hobbling the sector.  

‘They are shocked, which is incredible’

British Airways ground staff were set to strike in August over the fact that their full pay had still not been reinstated — something especially stinging at a time when the CEO of BA’s parent company, IAG, was given a £250,000 ($303,000) gross living allowance for the year. 

But this week, the airline and workers’ union agreed on a salary increase to call off the planned strike, though some staff say it’s still not a full return to their pre-pandemic pay.  

In a statement, British Airways said, “The last two years have been devastating for the entire aviation industry. We took action to restructure our business to survive and to save jobs.”

The company also said “the vast majority of redundancies during this time period were voluntary.”

“We’re completely focused on building resilience into our operation to give customers the certainty they deserve,” the airline said.

IAG CEO Luis Gallego, whose company owns BA, forfeited his £900,000 bonus in 2021 and took voluntary salary reductions in 2020 and 2021, and did not receive his 2020 bonus.

“They just want the cheapest labor to produce their own big bonuses and keep shareholders happy” – Pilot, British Airways

One pilot flying for Dubai’s flagship Emirates Airline said that a short-term mindset that took employees for granted had for years been laying the groundwork for today’s situation.

The airlines “were happy to try and depress wages for lots of people in the industry for years, on the assumption that nobody had anywhere else to go,” the pilot said. “And now that people are exercising their right to go somewhere else, they are shocked, which is incredible. I’m shocked that they’re shocked.”

A safety risk?

All this stress for airline staff comes on top of the often-ignored issue of pilot fatigue, all the pilots interviewed by CNBC said.

The legal maximum limit for a pilot’s flying time is 900 hours per year. But for many airlines, “that wasn’t seen as the absolute maximum, it was seen as the target to try and make everybody’s workload as efficient as possible,” the easyJet pilot said.

“That’s the big worry with us is that we’ve got a fairly toxic culture, an inordinate amount of work,” the Emirates pilot echoed. “That all adds up to potentially reducing the safety margin. And that’s a big concern.”

All this has been combined with low pay and less attractive contracts, the pilots say, many of which were rewritten when the pandemic turned air travel on its head.

“A bit of a toxic soup of all of those, the airports and the airlines share an equal level of blame. It’s been a race to the bottom for years,” the Emirates pilot said. “They’re only going to ever try and pay as little as they can get away with paying.”

Emirates Airline did not reply to a CNBC request for comment. 

‘Race to the bottom’

“Crony capitalists. Rat race to the bottom. No respect for skilled workforce now,” the BA pilot said of the industry’s corporate leadership. “They just want the cheapest labor to produce their own big bonuses and keep shareholders happy.”

The International Air Transport Association said in response to these criticisms that “the airline industry is ramping up resources as quickly as possible to safely and efficiently meet the needs of travelers.” It acknowledged that “there is no doubt that these are tough times for the industry’s workers, particularly where they are in short supply.”

The trade group has issued recommendations “to attract and retain talent in the ground handling sector,” and said in a statement that “securing additional resources where deficiencies exist is among the top priorities of industry management teams around the world.”

“And in the meantime,” it added, “the patience of travelers.”

Source: CNBC Travel

Dubai Police have warned people of the dangers of buying last-minute airline tickets for just a fraction of the usual price after arresting a man who booked several tickets for people using a stolen credit card.

The man, from an Asian country, defrauded dozens of people and bought airline tickets by creating a fake online travel agency and using a stolen credit card.

Dubai Police did not specify how many tickets were bought or their value.

Col Saeed Al Hajiri, director of the Cybercrime Department at Dubai Police, said airline ticket fraud usually flourishes in the summer and holiday seasons, but the number of cases in the emirate has dropped significantly.

Dubai Police recorded 36 cases of airline ticket fraud between 2009 and June of this year.

The Asian suspect has been the only case so far this year, compared with eight cases last year. Dubai Police recorded two cases in 2020, amid the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent drop in overall travel.

“Fake airline ticket scammers are usually active during the summer season but there has been a dramatic drop in the number of cases in Dubai. This year we recorded one case,” Col Al Hajiri told The National.

Dubai Police said the arrest was part of an continuing operation called “Bats Hunt”, which is in co-operation with Interpol, airline companies and global airports.

Col Al Hajiri urged the public to book their airline tickets through verified airline companies and agents.

“Be careful before you buy or you could wind up with no ticket and losing your money to criminals,” he said.

“Always buy the ticket from official channels. Sometimes scammers make a fake website posing as an official agent or airline company.”

He advised travellers to check the approved list of travel agents in the UAE with the Economic Development Department, as well as the travel agent’s permission or licences.

Social media advert for tickets

Fatima Jameel, an Egyptian resident in the UAE, said her friend was a victim of an airline ticket swindle after buying tickets through an advert on a social media platform.

“She contacted the number to buy a ticket to an Arab country and wired the money to an unknown woman. Upon receiving the tickets, my friend discovered it was fake,” said Fatima.

The fraudster, who was living outside the UAE, blocked the woman’s number and did not reply to her messages. The victim filed a case — which is still under investigation — but her travel plans were ruined.

Dubai Police said criminals have also targeted people staying illegally in the country by promising a work visa for a country outside the UAE and airline tickets in exchange for money.

“Despite the awareness campaigns, some people fall prey while searching for low-cost tickets. We recorded 390 cases in the last three years where violators were conned by scammers,” Col Al Hajiri said.

Police advise the public to report any fraud via the Dubai Police E-crime platform on Dubai Police’s website, the Smart Police Station or the Dubai Police application on smartphones.

Source: The National News

The US Embassy in Nairobi has suspended appointments for visa interviews until June 2024 owing to high demand and Covid-linked backlogs.

In a statement released on Monday, the embassy acknowledged the frustrations that Kenyans travelling to the US are going through.

“Currently, the first available dates for a visitor visa appointment in Nairobi are in June 2024. U.S. Embassy Nairobi recognizes the significant challenges and frustrations this poses for Kenyans planning to visit the United States for business and tourism,” read the statement seen by Business Daily.

Kenyans on social media have expressed their frustrations in recent days over what they have termed as unfair visa rules. Others have been forced to cancel travel plans over delays in processing the critical document.

The embassy said that non-immigrant visa interviews at the Nairobi office ceased for over a year due to Covid-19 safety measures.

“As we work through the backlog of applications and address the high demand for services, we recognize that some applicants may face extended visa interview wait times. This is a worldwide problem that US embassies are diligently striving to address,” the embassy said.

However, the embassy has committed to expediting appointments for emergencies such as the death of an immediate family member and people travelling for urgent medical care.

Students whose programmes start in less than 30 days and are likely to lose their scholarships will also be given priority. 

Further, the embassy has committed to doubling the number of interviews to clear the current backlog. 

“We instituted a visa renewal process that does not require an in-person interview for certain applicants. Kenyans renewing visitor (B1/B2 category) or student visas (F category) whose visas expired less than one year ago may be eligible to renew without an interview,” said the embassy.

Source: Business Daily