WRITES Leo odera Omolo

Foreigners visiting any of the five member state of the East African Community as tourists midstream now have to wait until next week to get a single visa covering Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda after the three countries missed January 1, 2014 deadline for valid of the travel document.

The East Africa tourist visa was expected to take effect yesterday January 1st 2014. However government officials in Nairobi were quoted by local media services as saying that this launch had been pushed forward to next week due the to unforeseen logistic problems.

The logistics for the role out, says a source, are being worked out right now and are expected to be in place by early next week.

Once in place in place, the visa will give the tourists multiple entry access to the three countries, allowing the government of Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, to market the region as a single towards destination.

On December 17, 2013, stakeholders from the three countries met in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, to assess the feasibility of rolling out the visa on New Year day.

During the meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, the delegation had noted that it was in the process of distributing 60,000 visa strikers to high commissioners and immigration departments of the three countries. The process was expected by December 23 , 2013.

Kenya and Uganda were also expected to send information technology (IT) experts to Kigali for training which was set the fin on December 22 , 2013.

It is perhaps these logistics that have seen the launch of the visa delayed until next week.

According to report issued during the December 17, Kigali meetings, the East African tourist visa will have validity of 90 days and will be over about Kshs8,650 (USD 100) .

To: jaluo@jaluo.com, sjacobs100@aol.com, noc@bbc.co.uk

KENYA,UGANDA AND RWANDA SET THE PACE FOR ONE SINGLE TOURISTS VISA TO THE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY STATES.

WRITES Leo odera Omolo

Foreigners visiting any of the five member state of the East African Community as tourists midstream now have to wait until next week to get a single visa covering Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda after the three countries missed January 1, 2014 deadline for valid of the travel document.

The East Africa tourist visa was expected to take effect yesterday January 1st 2014. However government officials in Nairobi were quoted by local media services as saying that this launch had been pushed forward to next week due the to unforeseen logistic problems.

The logistics for the role out, says a source, are being worked out right now and are expected to be in place by early next week.

Once in place in place, the visa will give the tourists multiple entry access to the three countries, allowing the government of Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, to market the region as a single towards destination.

On December 17, 2013, stakeholders from the three countries met in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, to assess the feasibility of rolling out the visa on New Year day.

During the meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, the delegation had noted that it was in the process of distributing 60,000 visa strikers to high commissioners and immigration departments of the three countries. The process was expected by December 23 , 2013.

Kenya and Uganda were also expected to send information technology (IT) experts to Kigali for training which was set the fin on December 22 , 2013.

It is perhaps these logistics that have seen the launch of the visa delayed until next week.

According to report issued during the December 17, Kigali meetings, the East African tourist visa will have validity of 90 days and will be over about Kshs8,650 (USD 100) .