In all likelihood, Italy will extend the national state of emergency linked to the pandemic, which is due to expire on 31 July, and consequently the ban on travelling to most countries in the world for tourism.
Among the 'forbidden' destinations, relegated to the 'infernal circle' of the so-called 'band E', there is also Kenya.
There are many compatriots who for months, in anticipation of the total reopening of the borders and before we came across the nice variant Delta, had made more than a little thought about the holiday in Kenya.
After the disappointment, for many the change of plans and for the die-hards postpone the date of the trip.
Others, fearless and little inclined to blind respect for the law, are looking for a thousand subterfuges to get around the ban.
Among the many readers who write to us, seeking comfort and solutions, the most common question is: "But what kind of crime am I committing if I leave for Kenya? Do I risk anything?"
The first risk you run is certainly that of not being able to board the plane that is supposed to take you to Kenya, or of being stopped at the airport check-in or by the customs authorities.
This is because the controls (if they are carried out properly) require a self-certification which, together with your personal data, asks you to specify the reason for your journey.
You can easily make a false declaration and you will not necessarily be asked to verify what you write. (For example: 'I am moving to my new place of residence': you will need a certificate of change of residence stamped by the prefecture, or at most the title to a second home. Or: 'visiting a relative', with appropriate documents and a photocopy of a document proving the relative's residence in Kenya).
If, however, "fussy" checks are carried out, the offence is very clear, and not only with respect to the emergency decree, but also to the penal code: in fact, in the case of declaring false data, the discipline provided for in Article 495 of the Penal Code is triggered.
The risks of declaring false information and (voluntarily) inaccurate data in self-certification for travel can lead to consequences that are much more serious than a simple fine, since this is a real crime, which can result in being reported for "False attestation" and sentenced to between 1 and 6 years in prison, depending on the seriousness of the act committed.
The reason for this is simple: when a citizen gives a self-certification, filled in and signed, he/she assumes civil and criminal responsibility for the information given; therefore all the data must be true.
In the case of a transfer to Kenya, as the website of our Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminds us, the reasons allowed are: return to one's own domicile, residence or main stay; proven work requirements, proven voluntary work, proven study reasons, visiting relatives. All other reasons, although rewardable for their imagination and wholly Italian verve, cannot be justified.