Kenya has slipped to 119th out of 199 countries in the passport index, dropping 10 places from 109th in 2025.
Kenya earned a Mobility Score of 76, down from 78 in 2025, which means that Kenyan passport holders have access to 76 destinations without requiring a traditional visa.
According to Passport Reports' latest data, Kenya's 119th global position combines 37 visa free destinations with other facilitated forms of entry.
The score includes access to 37 visa free destinations, 34 destinations available on a visa on arrival basis, and five destinations requiring an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). Kenyans still need a visa before travel for 122 destinations, among them the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and the Schengen Area.
The 2026 score is the weakest the Kenyan passport has posted since 2022, when it stood at 74 and ranked 121st. The passport peaked at 79 in 2024.
The ranking has also proved volatile in recent weeks. Kenya fell from 119th to 120th on 15 September after Laos withdrew visa on arrival for Kenyans, then climbed back to 119th on 20 September when Laos restored it.
Passport Reports records passport reports for 199 countries in 34 languages. It said that different passport indexes can produce varying rankings because of their distinct methodologies.
These differences may arise from the types of access they include, how they categorise entries, the scoring priorities they apply, or the rules they use for breaking ties.
Passport Reports ranks passports based on their Mobility Score, which is the total number of destinations that offer visa free access, are accessible on a visa on arrival basis, or are available with an ETA.
If two passports have the same Mobility Score, the comparison moves to the number of visa free destinations, followed by Electronic Travel Authorisations, and then visa on arrival.
In cases where all these values are identical, the passports share the same rank.
Kenya ranked 10th on the continent among 54 passports and 10th among the 54 African Union member states.
Passport Reports recorded that Kenya ranks 40th among the 56 Commonwealth countries, 67th among the 132 G77 countries and 111th among the 159 World Trade Organization members. It ranks first among the four countries where Swahili is an official language.
The platform puts the share of countries that Kenyans can enter visa free or through simplified procedures at 38.4%. A count of the destinations on its list shows that Kenyans can enter 38 of the 53 other African states visa free, on arrival or with an ETA, which gives the passport access to roughly 71.7% of the continent.
The figures also expose a sharp imbalance between how Kenya treats visitors and how the world treats Kenyans. Passport Reports ranks Kenya second out of 199 countries for ease of entry, since no nationality must obtain a visa before travelling to Kenya. Citizens of 76 countries enter visa free and those of 122 countries need an ETA.
The report lists Malaysia and Singapore as having arrival card requirements, Côte d'Ivoire with pre-enrolment, Seychelles with tourist registration, Papua New Guinea with an eVisitor permit and Cabo Verde with the EASE procedure.
EASE stands for Efficient, Automatic, and Safe Entry of Travellers, which is an online electronic pre-registration platform used for entering Cabo Verde.
Passport Reports also records maximum stays for many destinations, including 150 days in Nepal, 90 days in Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Gabon, Guinea, Madagascar, Mauritania, Nigeria, Seychelles, Suriname and Viet Nam, and 30 days in Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Laos, Malaysia, Mozambique, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Sierra Leone and Singapore.
Below are the terms used to describe visa requirements.
Visa required means a conventional visa is required for entry, and the application must be submitted before travel.
Visa free means no visa is needed for entry into these places.
ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) means a visa is not required, but a digital electronic travel document declaring entry into the country must be obtained before arrival.
VOA (Visa on Arrival) means a visa is required for entry, but it can be obtained upon arrival at the airport with no approval needed before departure.
eVisa means a visa is required, but the application can be submitted online. The visa is issued electronically and approval is needed before departure.
