Tanzania nationals now free from mandatory quarantine in Kenya

Dar es Salaam. Tanzanian nationals will from now not be subjected to 14-day mandatory quarantine upon arrival in Kenya; this is after it was included on an updated list of countries released by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority.

The list which now features 147 countries was a bond of contention for the two East African countries resulting into Tanzania banning Kenyan airlines from landing in the country on what authorities termed as reciprocal measures.

With Tanzania on the list it now means nationals of the EAC can travel freely to Kenya.

On the same day, the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) director general Hamza Johari confirmed to The Citizen that the regulator had seen the statement.

“We have just seen the statement. We are working on it before stating our position,” Mr Johari responded to a question posed by The Citizen on Tanzania’s position regarding the latest development.  

Before the ban, AirKenya Express and Fly540 had each on the weekly basis seven flights to Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar respectively; Safarilink Aviation on the other hand had seven flights on each of its Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar routes.

Tanzania nullified its approval for Kenya Airways (KQ) flights into the country effective August 1, after Kenya omitted it (Tanzania) on the list of about 111 countries whose passengers are allowed to enter Kenya without being quarantined for 14 days. 

Prior to the revocation, KQ, had secured a permit to fly 14 times to Dar es Salaam weekly, three times to Kilimanjaro and two times to Zanzibar.

TCAA also rescinded all previous arrangements that permitted the four Kenyan flights into the United Republic of Tanzania.