COVID-19 Protocols For East African Countries (Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, and Rwanda)

On arrival at Entebbe International Airport, there is no mandatory COVID -19 testing but all incoming and exiting travelers are required to have tested for COVID -19 72 hours before boarding. Children aged three and under are exempt when accompanying parents arrive with a negative test certificate.

Further updates on COVID – 19 can be accessed on Uganda’s https://www.health.go.ug/covid.

TANZANIA

All passengers arriving in Tanzania are required to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test certificate upon arrival. The test should be taken within 96 hours of arrival in Tanzania. All passengers traveling to Tanzania must complete an online Traveler’s Surveillance Form. This form must be submitted no more than 24 hours before arrival.

All passengers entering Tanzania will be subjected to enhanced screening for COVID-19 including a mandatory rapid test. The cost for rapid testing is 10 USD per traveler for arrivals in mainland Tanzania and 25 USD for arrivals in Zanzibar. The fee can be paid through the online Traveler Surveillance Form or in cash on arrival.

Children 5 years and under are exempt from both pre-departure PCR tests and rapid tests on arrival. If you test positive for COVID-19 on arrival, you may be asked to quarantine in a government-designated hotel, at your own expense if you are visiting Tanzania. If you are a returning resident then you will be asked to self-isolate for 14 days.

KENYA

Kenya’s Ministry of Health announced all passengers over the age of 18 arriving and entering Kenya will need to present a valid certificate of COVID-19 vaccination immediately. All passengers exiting Kenya will also need to present a valid certificate of COVID-19 vaccination. COVID-19 vaccines approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) are considered valid by public health officials in Kenya.

All passengers arriving in Kenya must have a negative PCR COVID-19 certificate for a test conducted within 72 hours prior to departure.

RWANDA

All travelers arriving in Rwanda must have a negative Covid-19 certificate. The only accepted test is a SARS-CoV 2 Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) performed within 72 hours prior to departure (meaning travelers must be tested and get results within 3 days of their first flight). Other tests, such as Rapid Diagnostics Tests (RDTs), are not accepted for international travelers. COVID-19 Test is not mandatory for accompanied children under 5 years. At Kigali International Airport, all incoming travelers eligible (aged 12 years and above) for the Covid-19 vaccine are encouraged to be fully vaccinated before their travel.  

Covid-19 RT-PCR and Antigen Rapid Tests will be taken upon arrival at their own cost and travelers will do self-isolation until they get negative PCR test results taken on arrival. 

At the airport, the payment for Covid-19 tests taken on arrival of 62,200 Frw or 65 USD (55USD for covid-19 tests and 10USD for specific logistics to the airport) will be done as per the indications of the passenger locator form. For passengers who opt for a cash payment at arrival, the balance will be given in Local currency (FRW). The passenger who wouldn’t use the payment methods on the passenger locator form may be required to pay again at arrival and claim a refund for any previous payment made.

In order to facilitate Rwandan citizens to test regularly for Covid-19 and to know their status, including Rwandans returning home, the Government of Rwanda will subsidize the cost of Covid-19 tests whereby for the mandatory Covid-19 tests taken on arrival, Rwandan citizens will pay Rwf 45,000 or 45 USD (35USD for covid-19 tests and 10USD for specific logistics to the airport) instead of current cost. 

All travelers arriving or transiting in Rwanda must complete the passenger locator form and upload the Covid-19 PCR test certificate before heading to the airport. Please see the passenger locator form on www.rbc.gov.rw. 

All travelers transiting for more than 12 hours through Rwanda will be screened upon entry and take an RT-PCR and rapid tests at their own cost while transiting/connecting travelers who are not leaving the airport for less than 12 hours will be screened upon entry and not required to take a second test (This is not applicable for transiting passengers by land borders, in that case, passengers will be tested using RT-PCR and rapid tests on arrival), PCR test results will be fast-tracked.