South African President CYRIL RAMAPHOSA arrives in the country for bilateral talks with President RUTO

 

Wednesday, November 9, 2022 – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has landed in the country for bilateral talks with his host, President William Ruto.

Ramaphosa arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on Tuesday evening and was received by Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Dr. Alfred Mutua and his Mining counterpart, Salim Mvurya.

Ramaphosa and Ruto will have a joint media briefing at State House, Nairobi and later they will hold talks aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.

Relaxation of strict Visa requirements for Kenyans visiting South Africa will be central in the talks between Ramaphosa and Ruto.

Last year, President Ramaphosa and Kenya’s then-President Uhuru Kenyatta started talks to relax visa restrictions for Kenyans visiting South Africa.

However, this was on condition that Kenya takes back thousands of its citizens who accessed South Africa illegally.

The deal places the responsibility to block illegal migrants to South Africa from Kenya.

Visa restrictions have remained a thorny issue for the two countries for years and include a Sh5,350 processing fee.

The Visas take at least five days to be processed by the South African government.

In the strict requirements, Kenyans applying for Visa must also provide proof of sufficient funds and return flight air tickets.