Among the many precautions and things to know before facing a vacation or a period of stay in Kenya, there is also the importation of one of the technological trinkets most used by videomakers, bloggers and youtubers, as well as by those who want to bring home exciting souvenir footage.
This is the drone, whose use was finally approved a few months ago in Kenya, after three years of back and forth interspersed with bureaucratic deadlock caused by the pandemic.
Given the continuous demand of researchers, filmmakers, documentary filmmakers and naturalists, the Kenyan government has given the green light to its use, subject to not flying over national parks, military zones and any private property, at certain costs and conditions.
Let's look at them.
Let's start with importation. The drone must be regularly reported upon arrival at the airport and is required an import tax of Kes. 3000 (about 25 euros). After that, while residents will be required to visit the offices of the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) and pay flat fees that can amount to Kes. 100,000 per year, tourists will pay the "category B" permit fee for the days they stay in the country, at Kes. 2500 (about 20 euros) per day. Depending on where they will be filming, they may also be asked to take out insurance for any damages against third parties, starting at a minimum of Kes. 15,000 (about 120 euros).
The alternative? Not reporting the incoming drone and hoping it goes unnoticed can result in a fine of up to 2 million Kenyan shillings (about 16 thousand euros), in addition to confiscation of the contraption.
For illegal use in national parks and other protected situations, immediate arrest may also be triggered, in addition to payment of bail and fine.
This is the law to be followed. Then, once the importation of the drone is reported and the license for use is requested, everything can vary within the office in charge, because often in Kenya the application of the rules does not match what the rules themselves say.