Uganda and Kenya are seeking to remove barriers that make travel between the two neighbours costly and slow, as tourism between them grows.
At the fifth Uganda–Kenya Coast Tourism and Innovation Summit, which opened in Mombasa on Monday, organisers said they would assess Article 104 of the East African Community (EAC) Treaty. The article commits member states to the free movement of people, labour and services. Organisers plan to identify where it is falling short and recommend remedies to national and regional authorities.
Government representatives are expected to sign a joint declaration on priority actions, to be submitted to the EAC Secretariat.
The push comes as cross-border travel rises. Uganda Tourism Board figures show Kenyan visitors to Uganda rose from 466,902 in 2024 to 519,041 in 2025.
Kenya Tourism Board data puts Ugandan arrivals in Kenya at 234,556 last year, making Uganda one of Kenya’s largest source markets. Kenya is targeting 300,000 Ugandan visitors this year.
Tour operators and travel agents from both countries signed three agreements on the opening day of the two-day summit, at the Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort & Spa.
The Association of Uganda Tour Operators (AUTO) and the Kenya Association of Tour Operators (KATO) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on promoting sustainable tourism and regional tourism cooperation across East Africa.
The Uganda Association of Travel Agents (TUGATA) and the Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA) signed an MoU on implementing the Uganda–Kenya Coast Tourism Collaboration. The document describes itself as a framework for cooperation on innovation, investment, youth participation and regional integration.
The Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) and the Mombasa chapter of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) signed an MoU on trade, investment and private-sector cooperation.
Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, Uganda’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs, gave the keynote address. She called for formal cooperation frameworks, business-friendly policies, better transport infrastructure and improved visitor safety to unlock tourism investment and strengthen cross-border partnerships.
“Tourism cooperation must go beyond promoting destinations to empowering local communities, protecting our natural resources and creating sustainable economic opportunities,” she said.
Kadaga said cooperation should promote technological innovation, improve connectivity and create authentic visitor experiences built on the two countries’ cultural heritage, natural attractions and hospitality. She stressed the value of community participation, sustainable architectural design and knowledge exchange.
Ambassador Charles Ssentongo, representing the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said problems affecting trade and industrial competitiveness were being handled through the Uganda–Kenya Joint Permanent Commission. He called for practical, time-bound solutions to outstanding trade barriers so that tourism businesses and communities in both countries could benefit.
“As the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as Government, we will continue to facilitate, work with and advocate for the interests of tourism stakeholders,” he said.
Ssentongo described tourism as one of the four sectors, alongside agriculture, minerals, and science, technology and innovation, that the government calls ATMS and is relying on under its Ten-Fold Growth Strategy. The strategy aims to grow Uganda’s economy from about $50bn to $500bn by 2040. He said tourism was central to attracting investment, creating jobs and expanding business across borders.
The cost of getting between the two countries has been a recurring complaint. At the summit’s launch in Kampala in August, Susan Nakawuki Nsambu, Uganda’s Minister of State for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, said travelling to a neighbouring country could be harder than travelling overseas.
At a media launch in Mombasa in September, Ambassador Herbert Kiguli, Uganda’s Consul General in Mombasa, cited high air fares as a major obstacle. He proposed that the region be treated as a single bloc for aviation, to remove international taxes on flights between Uganda and Kenya.
At the summit, Kiguli stressed strategic partnerships, seamless mobility and joint promotion of the two countries’ tourism products.
“Our approach is to embrace complementarity rather than competition, connecting Kenya’s coast to Uganda’s rich natural and cultural heritage through the ‘Beach to Bush, Bush to Beach’ concept, for the mutual benefit of both countries,” he said.
The concept links Kenya’s coastal attractions with Uganda’s wildlife, national parks, adventure tourism, cultural heritage and hospitality. Organisers say combined itineraries would bring business to tour operators, hotels, transport companies and local communities.
Nakawuki said partnerships had to turn into lasting business relationships and practical opportunities.
“The value of this partnership lies not simply in the meetings we hold, but in the relationships we build, the businesses we connect, and the opportunities we unlock,” she said.
She said government policy priorities should be built into tourism promotion, and asked organisers of familiarisation trips to include officials from her ministry to strengthen policy guidance, co-ordination and implementation.
The summit follows a six-day familiarisation tour of the Kenyan coast by more than 70 Ugandan tour operators, travel agents, hoteliers and Uganda Tourism Board officials. Operators are also hoping to draw visitors during the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will co-host.
The summit runs under the theme “Unlocking Tourism Opportunities: Resolving Policy Bottlenecks through Technology, Youth and Seamless Mobility across East Africa”. Organisers say this year’s edition marks a move from promotion and networking towards policy action, digital innovation and investment.
Their targets include at least 10 business-to-business connections between Ugandan and Kenyan coastal operators, with progress tracked over three months. They also want at least two digital tourism prototypes commissioned, demonstrated and supported towards commercial use.
A summit communiqué naming institutional commitments and delivery timelines is to be published within two weeks and reviewed at the 2027 summit.
Discussions also cover how young innovators can develop digital tourism applications, how local communities can take part in conservation, and how tourism infrastructure can combine local materials with modern design.
The summit began in 2022 as the Uganda–Kenya Coast Tourism Conference and is convened by Uganda’s Consulate General in Mombasa. It falls under Uganda’s Economic and Commercial Diplomacy Strategy for 2025/26 to 2029/30, led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The strategy treats diplomatic missions as frontline agents for promoting exports, attracting investment and expanding tourism markets.
The ministry says the strategy also supports EAC integration goals, particularly the free movement of people and businesses.
