Gov’t Launches Digital Scrutiny of COVID-19 Certificates Held by Travelers Coming to Kenya

The government has launched digital scrutiny of COVID-19 certificates held by travelers entering and leaving Kenya.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the digital verification of COVID-19 clearance certificates will take effect on Monday.

The move is aimed at ensuring that the certificates held by passengers traveling to Kenya or abroad are authentic.

Kagwe said the ministry has partnered with the African Union and Africa CDC who are getting technical support from PanaBIOS, which has developed a system that will verify the authenticity of the COVID-19 certificates issued to travelers in line with protocols set by Trusted Travel Initiative (TTI).

“I, therefore, wish to notify travelers to first visit an authorized laboratory to take an RT PCR Covid-19 test and be issued with Trusted Travel (TT) codes that can be verified by airlines and Port Health authorities,” Kagwe said.

Through the system, travelers will get a travel code via SMS from PanaBios in sync with the testing laboratory. The code will be used to confirm whether the COVID-19 certificate is genuine.

“If a test result meets the exit and entry requirements of Kenya and the traveler’s destination, a Travel Code is then issued to the traveler online,” added Kagwe.

COVID-19 testing laboratories in Kenya have already migrated to the new system.

The UNDP-supported Global Haven partnership will provide a verification tool for travelers to Kenya whose countries are yet to migrate to the TTI system.

“No traveler will depart from Kenya without verification of their certificates using the TT process. No laboratories are permitted to issue COCID-19 certificates without TT codes from January 9th, 2021,” said Kagwe.