Kenyan passport no longer ranked top 10 most powerful in Africa
The Kenyan passport has dropped three places to be ranked 11th most powerful in Africa from the previous year when it was ranked 8th according to a new research.
The latest Henley Passport Index Report indicates that Kenya has also dropped in the global ranking from position 72 to 73 due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Kenya has lost 13 positions on the mobility score, which measures the number of countries a holder of a particular passport can visit without a visa or get a visa on arrival.
The pandemic has seen the number of countries a holder of a Kenyan passport can visit visa-free or get a visa on arrival reduce to 61 in the period under review from 74 last year.
According to the report produced in partnership with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Kenyan citizens can travel to 61 countries without visas out of a possible 218.
In Africa, Seychelles has the most powerful passport followed by South Africa, Mauritius, Botswana, Namibia, Tunisia and Swaziland.
A holder of a Kenyan passport can travel to 29 countries without a visa and obtain one on arrival in 30 countries including Singapore, Hong Kong, Jamaica and Fiji.
Asia dominates the list with a Japanese passport being the most powerful in the world.
Japanese citizens can travel visa-free or visa-on-arrival to 191 destinations around the world.
Singapore is second with access to 190 destinations followed by South Korea and Germany (189); Italy, Finland, Spain, and Luxembourg (188); Denmark, and Austria (187); Sweden, France, Portugal, Netherlands, and Ireland (186); Switzerland, United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Belgium, and New Zealand (185); Greece, Malta, Czech Republic, and Australia (184); Canada (183), and Hungary (181).
The 10 worst passports to hold are Afghanistan (access to 26 destinations), Iraq (28), Syria (29), Pakistan (32), Somalia and Yemen (33), Palestinian territories (37), Libya and Nepal (38), and North Korea (39).