Trump tightens US entry ban on 12 African states

President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a proclamation imposing full travel restrictions and entry limitations on four more African countries in a move that further tightens immigration controls. The new additions include South Sudan, Kenya’s neighbour to the North and a member of the East African Community.  

This is even as it flagged Tanzanians for visa overstays and included the country in the list of partial restrictions.  

This increases the number of countries around Kenya that are facing hostility from the US and could complicate matters for Kenyans eyeing opportunities in the US including trade and business partnerships. 

Other EAC countries on the full restriction list are the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia while Burundi is on the partial restriction list.  Other African countries in the full restricted list are Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and South Sudan, bringing the total number of fully restricted African countries to 12.  

The US put Tanzania on the list of “partial restrictions and entry limitations”, joining Burundi, which continues to be in the partial restrictions list. Tanzania has been flagged for Visa Overstays, which comes shortly after the US said it would comprehensively review its ties with it  following the country’s bungled elections in October.  

The US condemned human rights violations seen in the violence against its otherwise peaceful citizens, which reportedly led to death of hundreds of people and enforced disappearances. The country also noted that Tanzanians were violating visa conditions.

Temporary visa

“According to the Overstay Report, Tanzania had a B-1/B-2 visa (a temporary visa granted for business, tourism and medical visits) overstay rate of 8.30 per cent and an F, M, and J visa (temporary study visas) overstay rate of 13.97 percent,” read a statement from the White House when it announced the restrictions on Tuesday. 

Trump has been particularly harsh on Somalis in the US, issuing a near blanket condemnation of the community including disparaging verbal attacks and saying he does not want them in the country. 

The new developments could have far reaching effects for Kenya. 

While it appears to continue enjoying the regional blue-eyed boy status from the US going by the recent visit to Washington by President William Ruto and the signing of the controversial health pact, citizens from neighbouring countries cannot travel to the US and could mean more scrutiny and visa denials for Kenyans.  

The inclusion of South Sudan in the list of fully restricted countries brings to three the number of East African Community member countries whose citizens cannot travel to the US.

It joins Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo while Tanzania and Burundi are on the partial restrictions and entry limitations list. This leaves only Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda outside these restrictions but their citizens are likely to face hurdles in obtaining visas to the US. 

Kenya has appeared to enjoy cordial relations with the US, having been designated as a Major Non Nato Ally by the US during the Biden Era and also becoming the first country to sign a major health deal under Trump in the post-USAid era.

The two countries on December 4 signed what has been termed as a landmark deal, valued at Sh325 billion ($2.5 billion). It was aimed at supporting data systems over the seven-year implementation period. 

The deal has, however, kicked up a storm over claims that it will give the US unfettered access to the health data of Kenyans. While President Ruto has dismissed the claims, implementation of the deal has since been suspended by a Kenyan court. 

But while it appears to be in the good books of the US, Kenya is however not sitting cozy as some of its people living in the US have been rounded up by the Trump administration that has been clamping down on illegal migrants, with 15 Kenyans among those who have been arrested and are set to be deported. The Kenyans are among the people the US terms as criminal aliens and have been convicted of different crimes. 

And with the citizens of many of its neighbours being banned from travel to the US or facing entry limitations, Kenyans will too be under heavier scrutiny. This is especially considering EAC’s porous borders that has made crossing borders easy. 

Many Kenyans have in the past lamented the level of scrutiny they already face when applying for visas including the high instances of rejection.  It is yet to be seen whether Trump’s policies will hurt trade relations with Kenya. 

The US is the largest source of diaspora remittances for Kenya. According to data by the Central Bank of Kenya, inflows from Kenyans working in the US accounted for more than half of diaspora remittances last year. In 2024, Kenyans working abroad remitted Sh642.88 billion ($4.95 billion) in 2024, with remittances from the US accounting for 53.2 per cent at Sh341.9 billion ($2.63 billion).

Remittances from the US have consistently grown over the years while at the same time the country has maintained its position as the largest single source of remittances to Kenya. This has largely been on account of the growing number of Kenyans working in the US and enjoying relatively better economic conditions. 

The US is also one of the largest export markets for Kenyan products, which has been on account of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), which expired September 30, this year. 

Kenya exported goods valued at Sh88.86 billion to the US in 2024, which made it the third largest export market after Uganda (Sh125.9 billion) and the United Arab Emirates (Sh101 billion), according to data by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS). 

This market could shrink without Agoa, which has for more than two decades offered duty free and quota access to the US market for goods from a number of African countries. 

Kenya has been pursuing a bilateral pact but this has progressed at a slow pace, with Trump abandoning negotiations that Kenya and US officials had been undertaking and instead choosing to start afresh.  

Other than Kenya’s neighbours slapped with partial and full restriction and entry limitations, other African countries in the list of full restrictions include Sudan, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, Eritrea and Libya. Additionally, Sierra Leone, which was previously under partial restrictions, will now face a full entry ban. 

In Burkina Faso, for instance, the ban has been instituted due to the ongoing terrorist activities and its refusal to accept back its deported nationals. 

Mali, on the other hand, was restricted due to ongoing terrorist operations in certain areas, with armed conflict between the Malian government and armed groups continuing throughout the country. 

Niger citizens, just like Burkina Faso and Mali, have been banned due to terrorist attacks and active kidnappings happening anywhere in the country. Meanwhile, Sierra Leone and South Sudan were cited for failing to accept the return of their deported nationals. 

“According to the Overstay Report, Sierra Leone had a B-1/B-2 overstay rate of 16.48 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 35.83 percent. According to the 2023 Overstay Report, Sierra Leone had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 15.43 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 35.83 percent.” 

While full bans were the focus for some, President Trump also extended and initiated partial restrictions for several other countries. 

Partial restrictions will continue for Burundi and Togo, while new partial limitations have been imposed on Tanzania, Benin, Angola, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia, Zimbabwe, The Gambia, Côte d’Ivoire and Gabon. These measures, according to the White House, are mainly due to visa overstays. 

Angola, Benin, and Côte d’Ivoire, for instance, have visa overstay rates for temporary visits (B-1/B-2) of 14.43 per cent, 12.34 per cent and 8.47 per cent, respectively. These new policy changes are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026.