Kenya or Uganda
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| Kenya | Uganda | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | — | — |
| Citizenship | 7 years | 10 years |
| Partner can work | no | no |
| Parents | — | — |
| Pets | no trouble | difficult |
| Pet limit | no limit | no limit |
| Quarantine | no | 30 days |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 520 · estimate | $ 612 · estimate |
| Basket | $ 26,0 | $ 19,7 |
| Life expectancy | 63.83 | 68.49 |
| Homicides/100k | 4.65 | 8.82 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 4.2 | 3.8 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Kenya — 24, Uganda — 19. Types present in both: work, study, family, investment and repatriation. Kenya adds: remote work and retirement. Uganda adds: talent.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Kenya: fees range from 1,000 to 750,000 KES. Routes with no fee: 2. Routes stating an income threshold: 2; the lowest is 24,000 USD a year. Routes with a published decision deadline: 22; the shortest is 1 days. Uganda: fees range from 100 to 3,000 USD. Routes stating an income threshold: 1; the lowest is 36,000 USD a year.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: Kenya after 7 years, Uganda after 10 years. Citizenship: Kenya after 7 years, Uganda after 10 years. Both allow a second citizenship.
Kenya in brief
Kenya admits foreign specialists through a system of ten classes of work permits (Class A-M), each for a different purpose — from mineral prospecting and agriculture to prescribed professions and religious activity — and, since 2024, through a separate digital nomad visa (Class N) requiring a confirmed minimum income of $55,000 a year from sources outside the country. Permanent residence on the general ground — holding a work permit — is reached after 7 years, the last 3 of which must be continuous residence in the country; the spouse of a Kenyan citizen becomes eligible for permanent residence sooner, after 3 years of marriage, but until then the accompanying spouse holds a Dependant's Pass, which does not carry the right to work. Naturalisation takes the same 7 years — by marriage or by permanent residence with knowledge of Swahili or a local language; former citizens by birth who lost their citizenship on acquiring a foreign one have a separate, faster route to restoration. The 2010 Constitution permits dual citizenship for citizens by birth. Nairobi is the region's largest technology hub: since 2007 it has hosted the African headquarters of Google, IBM, Cisco Systems, and General Electric.
Uganda in brief
Uganda is a landlocked East African country with one of the youngest population age structures in the world, which matters in practice for the labour market: most of it is younger than in most countries of the world. English is an official language of the country alongside Swahili. Permits to stay and work are issued as a single Entry Permit document under the Uganda Citizenship and Immigration Control Act, Cap. 313, with eight classes for different grounds — from civil service and investors in agriculture and mining to regulated professions, missionaries and people of independent means with no right to work; separately there are also the Special Pass, Student Pass, Dependant Pass and Certificate of Residence. The country belongs to the East African Community (EAC): per official data from the National Citizenship and Immigration Control, citizens of Kenya and Rwanda are exempt from Entry Permit fees, though they must still obtain it on the general terms, while citizens of Tanzania are subject to a separate full fee — the eased regime for EAC member states is not applied uniformly. The Certificate of Residence for long stay (10 years of continuous residence and a contribution to socio-economic development) grants permanent-residence status without losing one's own citizenship, while the same ten-year threshold leads to Ugandan citizenship under the separate Citizenship by Registration procedure; dual citizenship has been permitted since 21 August 2009. Importing dogs and cats requires an Import Permit and includes mandatory quarantine of 21–30 days. Malaria is endemic across the entire country. The guide's five cities are Kampala (the capital and largest business centre), Entebbe (the country's international airport and the shore of Lake Victoria), Gulu and Mbarara (the largest regional centres in the north and south-west), and Fort Portal (the gateway for inbound tourism to Kibale National Park and the Rwenzori Mountains).
Other comparisons
Kenya or… Nigeria · Rwanda · Tunisia · Algeria · Tanzania · South Africa · Angola · Gabon
Uganda or… Madagascar · Sierra Leone · Zambia · Eswatini · Lesotho · Mozambique · Republic of the Congo · Burundi
More on each: Kenya · Uganda. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.