South Sudan has urged its nationals living in Kenya to ensure they have valid passports, visas and other required immigration documents to avoid running into trouble with Kenyan authorities.
Speaking to the media on October 7, South Sudan’s Ambassador to Kenya, Simon Juach Deng, cautioned citizens planning to remain in Kenya for more than 90 days to apply for an extension of their stay.
“If you stay more than 90 days, you are required to extend your stay. Because if you don't extend your visa stay, you will be staying illegally in Kenya and you would have issues with the police and the other law enforcement agencies like the immigration,” Deng stated.
The envoy warned that South Sudanese who fail to renew or extend their visas could face difficulties with the police and immigration officials.
Deng also disclosed that the South Sudanese government is engaging Kenyan authorities on ways to simplify the process of extending stays, particularly for mothers and guardians accompanying students studying in Kenya.
“We are working closely with the Kenyan authorities to find ways for people to easily extend their stay, especially their mothers or guardians, I would say, who are here with the students,” he added.
According to data from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Kenya hosts more than 213,000 South Sudanese nationals.
More than 94 per cent of them are refugees and asylum seekers living in Kakuma and Kalobeyei settlements, while approximately 4.1 per cent are integrated into Kenyan communities in urban centres, including Nairobi and Nakuru.
The latest advisory comes against the backdrop of heightened scrutiny of foreign nationals living and working in Kenya.
Burundian nationals were recently caught off guard after President William Ruto announced a 90-day registration and documentation window for undocumented Burundian citizens and other East African Community (EAC) nationals residing in Kenya. The move attracted widespread criticism.
South Sudan has also introduced measures affecting foreign nationals in its territory, particularly those operating small businesses.
The South Sudanese government restricted nationals from Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Burundi from engaging in small-scale retail businesses as it moved to reserve certain enterprises for its citizens.
The latest call by the South Sudanese embassy is therefore aimed at ensuring its nationals in Kenya remain compliant with the country’s immigration laws while Nairobi and Juba continue to strengthen bilateral relations.
