This archive report was first published on 7 November 2019.
Published on November 7, 2019, Kenya's investment promotion agency, KenInvest, announced plans to grant citizenship to wealthy investors who create significant economic impact.
Under the proposed scheme, high net worth individuals whose businesses are deemed to have a high impact on job creation and exports will be eligible to automatically apply for citizenship.
This is a departure from the current immigration laws, which require foreigners to live in the country for at least seven years to qualify for citizenship by registration.
KenInvest's managing director, Moses Ikiara, stated that the agency had held positive discussions with Interior Secretary Fred Matiang'i to develop a framework for vetting these investors and preventing potential abuse.
“If somebody has created impact and you can see the jobs created why don’t we extend an incentive to them and say we invite to be our citizen in three, two years,” Dr Ikiara said.
The proposal is part of Kenya's first-ever investment policy, which aims to guide the attraction, facilitation, retention, monitoring, and evaluation of private investments at national and county levels.
