Major US non-NATO ally in Africa seeks direct flights with Moscow

Kenya is seeking to boost trade and tourism

Kenya is hoping to establish direct air travel with Russia to increase tourism, Nairobi’s ambassador to Moscow has said.

The East African country is considered a major US ally, but has made a number of commercial overtures to Russia in recent months.

“Tourism is one of the pillars of our policy and an important sector of the economy,” Ambassador Peter Mutuku Mathuki told RIA Novosti in an interview on Thursday.

“As for direct flights, we are very much counting on their launch, but this requires negotiations between the two countries to see what the international requirements are for the implementation of this idea,” he said. “But it is in our interests to make tourism in Kenya more attractive.”

According to the ambassador more than 6,500 Russian tourists visited Kenya in 2022-23, while over 7,000 were recorded in 2024 alone.

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Russians seeking to visit Kenya currently need to change planes in Egypt, Türkiye, or the United Arab Emirates.

Kenya was designated a “major non-NATO ally” by the US last May. However, President William Ruto has vowed to expand trade relations with Russia.

Representatives of several Russian companies toured Kenya in November, suggesting afterward that a trade mission might be opened in the near future.

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Last month, the Russian shipping company FESCO launched a container route between Novorossiysk and Mombasa, Kenya’s largest port, with a consignment of Kenyan tea. According to the company, which is owned by the state energy corporation Rosatom, Russia intends to use the route for exporting construction materials, fertilizers, metals, plastics, wood and paper products, while importing tea, coffee, nuts and other agricultural commodities.

Moscow has also included Kenya among the countries whose nationals are eligible for an electronic Russian visa. The streamlined document takes up to four days to process, is valid for 60 days, and allows a single-entry trip of up to 16 days. Registration does not require an invitation, hotel reservations, or any other documents about the purpose of travel.