The Cabinet has endorsed a comprehensive plan to enhance passenger experience at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) by streamlining operations and bolstering security.

Key changes include exempting all African citizens from Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) requirements and easing intra-African travel. ETA essentially is a system used to determine eligibility for travel to a country by processing applications for entry into the country.

Additionally, Kenyans in particular are set to benefit from an increased duty-free threshold of goods brought into the country, which has now been increased from Sh50,000 to Sh250,000 making it convenient for travellers who had faced associated challenges in the recent past.

As indicated in a cabinet dispatch to news rooms yesterday, these new developments can be seen as part of the efforts by the government to bandage JKIA’s reputation that had been dented by the recent scenes including blackouts, leaking roofs, slow screening processes and long queues.

“These measures take immediate effect, reinforcing JKIA’s position as a leading aviation hub by improving efficiency, security, and overall passenger experience,” the dispatch reads in part.

Security screening at JKIA will be enhanced through risk-based profiling, ensuring only flagged bags undergo manual inspection in a dedicated screening room, reducing delays and improving efficiency.

In a bid to address the daunting long queues experience, the number of immigration booths and staff will be doubled, while E-Gates will be introduced to counter the long waits and speed up clearance even as accountability measures are set to be strengthened with new monitoring technology deployed to oversee airport staff, and mandatory uniforms with visible name tags required for all agency employees and retail concessionaires.

At the same time, JKIA infrastructure will also undergo major upgrades, including modernised baggage handling systems, improved stormwater drainage and access roads, installation of covered walkways, enhanced air conditioning, and clearer signage while Meet-and-greet services will be strictly regulated, ensuring only licensed facilitators operate within the airport to enhance security and order.

Meanwhile, the then Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen had been put on the spot for the embarrassing state at the facility which exposed the country’s vulnerability in terms of infrastructure development.

He however, explained that the heavy rains that had been witnessed towards the end of the year had caused havoc at the airport creating a bad experience for travellers and losses to businesses dealing with perishable goods such as flowers.