Kenya has exempted passport holders from South Africa and six other countries from paying an unpopular entry fee introduced last month.
The government scrapped visa requirements for all foreign passport holders after it had been introduced last month inorder to boost tourism and promote the country as a major tourist destination.
The move was also aimed at attracting business travellers which will increase the foreign exchange earnings.
Previously, an entry fee, $30 had been introduced and also exempted to people who did not require visas.
However the decesion caused a huge blacklash with critics saying that it could lead to countries with which Kenya has visa-waiver agreements introducing a similar fee, making travelling more costly and bureaucratic.
Only travellers from the East African Community regional bloc were exempted from paying the money but six other countries excluding South Africa have also been added to the exemption list.
In addition to South Africa, the exemption has also been extended to passport holders from five other African states-Ethiopia, Eritrea, Congo-Brazzaville, Comoros and Mozambique.
San Marino, Europe's third smallest nation after Andorra and the Vatican, is the only other country on the exemption list.
A memorandum from Kenya's interior ministry and immigration department said the exempted countries had entered visa abolition agreements or signed bilateral visa waiver agreements with the East African state.
Travellers however are still required to get an ETA (electronic travel authorisation) document in advance to enter Kenya and submit information such as flight details and valid proof of accommodation.
The ETA is a single entry document and is valid for 90 days.
In a recent document released on international debt by the World Bank, Kenya ranked as the the first country in Africa with the biggest debt to the World Bank currently standing at $9.2 trillion putting every Kenyan at risk of being debted to about $664,000.
For East Africa's biggest economy and strongest currency holder, Kenya has decided to optimise all sources to increase its foreign exchange earnings which also involves exploiting the tourism sector which was the main motive that backed the move.
As directed by the World Bank, African countries which are said to heavily indebted are advised to bolster their tourism sector because it requires minimal investment and awards a balkan of foreign exchange in return.
The tourism industry also ranks second to agriculture in being the back bone of many African countries found between the tropics.
Currently, the world's leading African tourist destination is Rwanda with a rough estimate of 348 foreign visits every month.
