Kenya Investment Authority Explores Golden Visa for Permanent Residency

Kenya Investment Authority is developing a golden visa proposal that could give wealthy foreign investors immediate permanent residency, but the plan still needs legislation and a finalized eligibility threshold.

John Mwendwa, the agency’s chief executive officer, said officials were exploring residency tied to investment as they seek more capital, jobs and exports. The proposal remains under discussion.

“We are exploring residency by investment. Directionally, that's the way investors would like it. We have to have parameters that make commercial sense. [We aim] to aggressively lure global capital, boost job creation, and expand national exports.”

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Mwendwa made the statement on July 16, 2026. He had revived the proposal earlier, at a consultative session in Nairobi on May 29, 2025.

The proposed route would differ from Kenya’s existing investor permit. It would target investors able to commit substantial capital and produce measurable economic benefits, rather than offering another temporary immigration permission.

Kenya must pass a new law before the residency route can launch

The investment agency cannot create the immigration category on its own. Officials say Parliament would need to pass new legislation because immigration policy falls under the Ministry of Interior, not the investment authority.

Kipchumba Murkomen, the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration, and Evelyn Cheluget, the Director General of Immigration Services, would be involved in implementation. The framework is currently in drafting and consultation.

The government has not set the amount an applicant would need to invest. Officials are considering whether to use a flat financial figure or measure eligibility through outcomes such as jobs created and export volume.

A previous proposal used a $200,000 figure, but that amount does not represent the current plan’s finalized threshold. No official threshold has been announced as of July 18, 2026.

The policy pitch rests on a longer commitment. Mwendwa said in 2025:

“We have revived plans to introduce a golden visa programme that would grant immediate permanent residency to wealthy foreign investors. Long-term residency rights are a stronger incentive than temporary tax breaks.”

Existing Class G permits still set the current investor path

Investors currently rely on Kenya’s Class G Investor Permit. The route requires at least $100,000, described in the research as approximately KSh 13 million, invested in an active Kenyan enterprise.

The permit does not provide immediate status. An investor must complete at least seven years of legal residence before applying for permanent status or citizenship by registration, according to the additional research.

The permit system also creates a recurring administrative obligation. Class G permits are renewed every two years, a burden the proposed route is intended to remove for venture capitalists and company founders.

Permanent status could give founders longer-term certainty while they sit on boards and manage portfolio companies. The proposal is aimed at investors who want Kenya to serve as a regional base.

A separate certificate proposal would offer investment incentives, not residency

Parliament is also considering a different investment measure under the proposed Investment and Export Promotion Authority Bill, 2026. That bill would create a broader “golden certificate” for strategic projects.

The certificate would concern investment registration and incentives. It would not establish residency rights.

Keeping the two tracks separate is central to understanding the July debate. One proposal concerns how strategic projects receive investment treatment. The other would change how qualifying foreign investors obtain long-term immigration status.

Kenya’s broader economic strategy is also part of the pitch. The initiative aligns with President William Ruto’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, known as BETA, and with the Finance Act 2025.

That finance law reduced corporate tax rates for firms operating within the Nairobi International Financial Centre. Officials are presenting residency as a longer-term attraction than temporary tax relief.

Officials are weighing economic impact against a simple cash threshold

The emerging framework could use a financial minimum, an economic-impact test, or a combination of both. Job creation and export volume are among the measures under consideration.

That approach would tie immigration status to activity inside Kenya rather than only to the size of an investor’s bank transfer. The proposal’s stated goals include attracting capital, creating employment and expanding exports.

Kenya’s startup economy provides part of the investment case. Startups attracted US$984 million in funding in 2025, or Sh127 billion, the highest total on the African continent, according to the additional research.

Foreign-exchange reserves reached KSh 1.83 trillion as of July 2026, covering six months of imports. Those figures form the financial backdrop to the government’s effort to position Nairobi as an investment hub.

The proposal also looks outward. Reports identify Nigeria and other major African economies as target markets for high-net-worth investors seeking a stable regional base.

Kenya is modeling the idea against investment centers associated with Mauritius, Rwanda’s Kigali and South Africa’s Cape Town. The aim is to compete for capital that might otherwise establish a base elsewhere.

The proposal revives concerns raised by an earlier citizenship plan

Kenya floated a similar citizenship-by-investment proposal in 2019. That effort stalled amid concerns about abuse, money-laundering risks and the need for security safeguards.

The new plan is described as a residency route rather than direct citizenship. Those earlier concerns still frame the debate over screening, eligibility and enforcement.

Public reaction has split on social platforms. Supporters point to the possible capital inflow, while critics have raised concerns about land ownership and the effect on local small-scale businesses.

The distinction between residency and citizenship could shape the legislation. The proposal would offer immediate permanent status, while citizenship remains governed by separate requirements and procedures.

The next decision rests with the government and Parliament

Mwendwa said the agency was finalizing a proposal for government consideration on July 16. The plan resurfaced in public debate on July 17, when reports focused on Nigeria as a potential target market.

The next stage is political and legislative. The Interior ministry and immigration authorities would need to help shape the rules, while Parliament would need to approve the legal foundation.

Until those steps occur, the proposal offers no new application category, no published investment minimum and no immediate change to the Class G system. The government’s stated choice is still between a fixed amount and a test based on measurable economic impact.