Kenya Strengthens Regional Tourism Ties as High Commissioner Flags Off Ugandan Pupils to Mombasa

Kenya has reaffirmed its commitment to deepening regional tourism and people-to-people exchange within East Africa, as the Kenyan High Commissioner to Uganda, Ambassador Joash Maangi, flagged off a group of 697 pupils and 23 staff members from Hillside Nursery and Primary School, Naalya, for an educational excursion to Mombasa, Kenya.

The group, composed of Primary Seven finalists, was officially flagged off at the Kenya High Commission in Kampala before setting off for Kenya’s coastal city. During the trip, the learners will travel aboard the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to Mombasa, where they will visit Fort Jesus, the Marine Park, and other iconic sites along the Kenyan coast.

Speaking at the flag-off ceremony, Ambassador Joash Maangi commended Hillside Nursery and Primary School for sustaining a long-standing tradition of exposing Ugandan learners to Kenya’s cultural and geographical heritage.

“First and foremost, I want to thank Hillside Nursery and Primary School for choosing Kenya as the place to take their students to celebrate the end of their primary schooling days,” Ambassador Maangi said. “Kenya and Uganda are each other’s most important sources of tourism. Kenya provides Uganda with the highest number of tourists from any country in the world, and Uganda gives Kenya the second largest number of tourists, only after the United States.”

The High Commissioner noted that Kenya is targeting 300,000 Ugandan visitors by the end of 2025, up from 270,000 the previous year. He described the Hillside school trip as a significant contribution to that goal.

“This group alone adds nearly 700 visitors to our total. We are pleased and optimistic that such exchanges will help us meet our target,” he added. “It is a good experience for the young ones to enjoy East Africa and to grow up knowing that Kenya is their home, just as young Kenyans view Uganda as theirs. We want to continue increasing the number of tourists from Kenya to Uganda, and from Uganda to Kenya.”

Hillside Deputy Head Teacher, Mr Fredrick Batulabudde, said the school has maintained the annual tradition of taking pupils to Kenya for over 15 years.

“A lot of what our learners study in social studies will now come alive during this trip,” he said. “They will visit historical and geographical sites, which will deepen their understanding and inspire them as they transition to secondary school.”

Uganda continues to rank as Kenya’s leading African source market and second globally after the United States. In 2019, Kenya received 215,894 visitors from Uganda, representing a 5.4% increase from the previous year.

Africa overall remains Kenya’s largest source market, contributing 975,883 arrivals in 2024, or 40.8% of all international visitors. Within the East African Community (EAC), Uganda accounts for 31.7% of all African arrivals, followed by Tanzania (28.5%), Somalia (11.4%), and Rwanda (9.2%).

Several factors continue to support tourism flows between Kenya and Uganda, including open borders, where Ugandans need only a national ID or resident permit to travel to Kenya. The young population, which makes up nearly 50% of Uganda’s demographic, combined with trends in group travel, has also fueled cross-border tourism.

Enhanced air connectivity through Kenya Airways, Jambojet, RwandAir, and Uganda Airlines, which launched a direct flight to Mombasa last year, has further improved accessibility.

The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) has also intensified its marketing campaigns in Uganda, with digital initiatives such as the #TugendeKenya campaign designed to attract more Ugandan travellers to experience Kenya’s diverse destinations.

Kenya’s long-term goal is to position itself as the top-of-mind holiday destination for Ugandan travellers, while strengthening mutual tourism exchange within the East African region.

Ambassador Maangi reiterated that such educational excursions not only foster tourism but also reinforce the brotherhood between Kenya and Uganda. “We are not just building numbers; we are building relationships. These young learners are the future of East Africa’s unity,” he emphasised.