BY THE ARUSHA NEWS REPORTER
South Sudan’s government has denied introducing visa fees for citizens of Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda after charges were published on its e-visa website early last week.
The move raised questions because South Sudan is a member of the East African Community (EAC) whose integration framework promotes visa-free movement among citizens of partner states.
The online schedule listed travellers from Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, as well as Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic, as liable to pay $50 for a single-entry visa, $125 for a three-month multiple-entry visa and $250 for a six-month visa.
Most other African nationals were listed for higher charges of $100, $200 and $350 respectively, while Tanzanian and Egyptian citizens were marked as exempt.
However, the Ministry of Interior has rejected the information, describing it as false, misleading and unsupported by any legal or administrative decision.
The ministry said it had issued no directive, policy or statutory instrument changing the country’s immigration rules or approving the reported fees. The disputed schedule was later removed, although officials did not explain how it appeared on the website.
