Kenyans flying back into the country have accused Immigration officers at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) of soliciting bribes from passengers, to move up the long queues as congestion hits the country’s main airport due to capacity constraints.
The Business Daily has learnt of multiple recent incidents when some travellers were moved up the queues at the immigration checkpoint at JKIA after paying enticement to officials.
“Having just arrived from a country where systems are applied consistently and without favour, I found this experience extremely disheartening,’ a traveller, who requested to remain anonymous, told Business Daily.
“Such practices create a perception of preferential treatment and undermine confidence in the fairness and professionalism of our public institutions. As a Kenyan, I left feeling genuinely disappointed.’
Another traveller said he was expedited through the immigration checkpoint after parting with a Sh5,000 enticement.
The incidents point to a deeper problem at Kenya’s main international gateway, where congestion and long queues are creating opportunities for immigration officials to bypass established clearance procedures, and solicit unofficial payments from frustrated passengers.
The Directorate of Immigration Services did not respond to Business Daily queries on the bribery claims. The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), which manages airports and is tasked with ensuring travellers have a good experience, asked affected travelers to report such incidents.
‘Immigration clearance is undertaken by the Directorate of Immigration Services, within the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services under the Ministry of Interior and National Administration,’ it said in a response to Business Daily queries.
‘KAA remains responsible for coordinating airport service delivery and working with the relevant agencies to address concerns affecting the passenger experience. We would welcome the travel dates, approximate times, clearance locations and any other relevant details, to enable referral to the Directorate for investigation and follow-up.’
Beyond the financial and time cost to travellers, air travel experts argue such practices threaten to undermine confidence in JKIA, at a time when Kenya is seeking to position the airport as a competitive regional aviation hub and expand its capacity to handle rising passenger traffic.
Travellers have expressed frustration with such incidents.
Sources said the immigration officials typically approach people with Kenyan passports, while foreign travellers are moved up the queue with the help of local tour firms or hotels waiting for them at the airport.
Travellers are typically expected to be treated the same at ports of entry, except for unique situations that may require a traveller to be moved up the queue or processed separately.
For instance, priority passengers, including elderly travellers, pregnant women, disabled people or sick individuals, do not need to queue for immigration checks. But as the airport increasingly gets congested, frequent flyers worry fast service may become a reserve for a few individuals willing to bend the law and pay more to the detriment of other travellers.
KAA says there are ongoing projects to ease congestion at JKIA.
‘The Directorate of Immigration Services, in partnership with KAA, is currently installing electronic immigration gates, beginning with Terminal 1A. Installation at this terminal is expected to be completed by the end of October 2026. Once operational, the e-gates are expected to expedite clearance for eligible passengers and reduce pressure on staffed counters,’ the agency told Business Daily.
‘The JKIA modernisation project, which is ongoing, also provides for the optimisation and reconfiguration of existing terminals, modernisation of passenger-processing systems and development of additional terminal capacity. These interventions are designed to ease current bottlenecks and accommodate growing traffic.’
This year, JKIA is expected to handle over 9 million passengers, far above the 7.5 million it was designed to process every year. This has meant that passengers mostly have to endure abnormally long queues at immigration checkpoints and airline check-in counters, according to consultancy firm Dar, which was last year hired by KAA to design the development masterplan for the airport.
The current terminal is supposed to be upgraded to immediately raise capacity to at least 12 million passengers a year, while a new terminal will raise the airport’s capacity to 25 million passengers a year.