The Kenyan administration intends to impose higher levies on both domestic and foreign airline fares as part of efforts to generate extra revenue, which will subsequently be directed towards establishing two new governmental bodies aimed at boosting their financial resources.
The head of the ruling party in the National Assembly, Kimani Ichung’wah, who oversees governmental affairs within the legislative body, has introduced a proposal that, should it be approved, would raise taxes on airline fares.
The Air Passenger Service Charge (Amendment) Bill 2025 aims to increase the duty on international flights from $40 to $50, as well as the fee for domestic travel from Sh500 ($3.87) to Sh600 ($4.65).
These indicate rises of 25 percent and 20 percent respectively. The government has mentioned that it must secure additional funds to distribute between two organizations deemed essential for advancing tourist-related initiatives within the nation.
The proposal aims to include the Tourism Fund and the Kenya Meteorological Service Authority among the current beneficiaries, which are the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) and the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA).
The Tourism Fund is scheduled to combine with the Tourism Promotion Fund, which has typically obtained 20% of the revenue generated from airport departure fees. Shifting these resources into the Tourism Fund corresponds with this integration.”This move aims to reduce overlapping duties, enhance effectiveness, and allow the government to fund tourism initiatives through one channel, particularly those needing coordinated and mixed financial strategies,” the bill mentions.”Additionally, it intends to distribute earnings to the Kenyan Meteorological Service Authority so it can cover its main tasks and obligations, thus fulfilling its legal requirements more efficiently and successfully.”The Kenya Meteorological Service Authority receives backing from the state, but it remains uncertain if the fresh income derived from the Airport Departure Fee will be used for new programs and ventures or merely substitute regular governmental support.
Meanwhile, the Tourism Promotion Fund was included in the list of recipients in 2018 because the majority of air travelers arriving in the country came for tourist reasons.
Air passenger service fees have stayed the same for 13 years. They increased to $20 for international trips and to Ksh300 ($2.32) for local flights.
Kenya’s decision follows closely behind neighboring Tanzania, which recently introduced a $45 fee for single-direction international flight bookings, thereby raising the expense of traveling in and out of the nation. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
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