Govt Moves To Cut Down Long Queues At JKIA In 3 Months

The government is set to add more service booths at the immigration section of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi in a bid to put a stop to the long queues and overcrowding which have led to costly delays affecting both passengers and airlines.

This is part of a raft of changes in airport operations announced by Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir on Friday, January 31, in which staff numbers are also expected to increase to handle the demanding tasks at the immigration desks.

"Within 90 days immigration booths at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) will be doubled, along with a corresponding increase in staff, to expedite passenger clearance and reduce overcrowding," mandated Chirchir.

Immigration desks at JKIA airport. /KENYA AIRPORTS AUTHORITY

Additionally, electronic self-clearance gates (e-Gates) will be installed to facilitate faster and more efficient immigration processing.

The government will also deploy technology to monitor and ensure accountability for all staff working at JKIA, aiming to enhance service delivery, a move that aims to strengthen accountability measures for personnel across all agencies operating at the airport.

Chirchir went on to announce that all staff working for Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Immigration, Port Health, Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), Ministry of Tourism, National Police Service, and retail concessionaires “must wear uniforms and name tags within two weeks.”

"Additionally, further customer service training will be provided for all staff of agencies operating at the airport," added Chirchir.

Particularly, KRA is set to enhance staff capacity through training and equipping all airport customs officers with body-worn cameras effective July 1, 2025, to ensure transparency and efficiency.

In the new reforms depicted in the Airport Charter, aimed at enhancing operational efficiency through improved agency coordination, Kenya raised the duty-free threshold for passengers from Ksh50,000 to Ksh250,000 in a bid to streamline passenger goods screening. 

The duty-free threshold applies to personal and household items brought into the country in a passenger's accompanied baggage or on their person. This threshold refers to the number of goods a traveller can import without paying import duties.

For example, in Kenya, passengers can import up to 1 litre of spirits or wine, or 2 litres of wine duty-free, up to 250 grams of tobacco products duty-free and up to half a litre of perfume and toilet water duty-free. Passengers must however declare all items on the Passenger Declaration Form (F88) and must pay duties on any items that are not exempt.

In what will be welcomed positively by travellers, the CS directed that only bags flagged by security scanners will be opened in a dedicated screening room, a move that upholds traveller dignity and privacy and aims to enhance security while ensuring a respectful and seamless travel experience.

In line with the United Nations (UN) resolution, the government announced that it is immediately implementing advanced passenger information systems to enhance international security and streamline operational efficiency. This initiative aims to strengthen border controls while ensuring a smoother travel experience.

The reforms follow a Cabinet decision to exempt all citizens from across Africa from Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) requirements. “Multiple-entry ETA and expedited ETA processing have been operationalised,” revealed CS Chirchir.