The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives completely and one of the requirements is having a certificate to show that you’re negative to the virus. Well, the Kenyan government is going a notch higher with this verification.
The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Mutahi Kagwe has said today that the Ministry has rolled out an online system to authenticate and verify COVID-19 certificates as reported by Kenyans. This will start from Monday, January 11th.
“I, therefore, wish to notify travelers to first visit an authorized laboratory to take an RT PCR COVID – 19 test and be issued with Trusted Travel ( TT ) codes that can be verified by airlines and Port Health authorities,” he said. “In-bound travelers from countries yet to onboard to the Trusted Travel Initiative will use a tool made available through the UNDP – supported global. Haven partnership for COVID – 19 test results and vaccine certificates verification.”
According to the Ministry, no traveler will depart from the country without verification of their certificate using the TT (Trusted Traveler) process. In addition, no labs are permitted to issue COVID-19 certificates without TT codes from 9th January 2021.
The CS said that the digital services will be issued at no cost thanks to the collaboration with UN institutions, AU bodies, technology companies, telecom operators and standards organizations. He stated that the travel code will only be issued to a traveler only if he/she met the exit and entry requirements of Kenya.
This is the latest development in this “new normal” where countries are still grappling with the continued effects of the pandemic.
