Germany’s latest border control measures have sparked a wave of misinformation in Kenya, just days after President William Ruto signed a labour and migration agreement with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Posts circulating online claim that all Africans – even those holding valid visas – will now be banned from entering Germany following Ruto’s visit. However, these claims are false. Official documents published by Germany show restrictions apply only to people who try to enter the country without the correct paperwork.
On September 15, 2024, a post on X claimed: “After Ruto visited Germany it has been announced that Africans will not be allowed to enter Germany even with Visa.”
Shared more than 2,800 times, the post originated from a Kenyan account called “KESH” with more than 130,000 followers.
The same claim was repeated by other Kenyan social media users on X (here and here) and on Facebook.
Kenya-German deal
Ruto attended the annual Citizens’ Festival in Germany from September 13th to 14th.
While there, the country’s two leaders signed an agreement allowing skilled workers from Kenya to live and work in the EU’s largest economy (archived here).
Misleading claims about the deal spread online, further cemented by Ruto’s remarks during an interview with a German broadcaster where he said the deal will “unlock 250,000 job opportunities for young Kenyans” (archived here).
However, German’s interior ministry later refuted this claim, stating that “the agreement does not include any numbers or quotas for skilled workers who will have the opportunity to work in Germany” (archived here).
Ruto’s comments saw established media outlets like the BBC reporting the figure before correcting their reports (archived here).
According to Chancellor Scholz, the deal aims to address Germany’s ageing and shrinking workforce while also streamlining the repatriation of migrants denied entry.
Irregular immigration has been a flashpoint in Germany where populist fears stoked by a recent spate of extremist attacks have helped the far-right anti-immigration AfD party gain significant ground (archived here).
However, shortly after the agreement was inked on September 13, 2024, social media posts circulating in Kenya gave the false impression Germany had imposed a blanket ban on Africans, including visitors from the continent with valid entry documents.
Border control
In tandem with Ruto’s misleading remarks about the terms of the bilateral deal, the claims started spreading as Germany was set to introduce tougher border control guidelines on September 16, 2024 (archived here).
Germany expanded border controls with all nine of its neighbours, it said, to stem the arrivals of irregular migrants, a move that sparked protests from other EU members.
Germany lies at the heart of Europe and borders nine countries that are part of the visa-free Schengen zone, designed to allow the free movement of people and goods.
But the new measures mean checks have been beefed up on all border posts.
However, Cornelius Funke, a spokesperson at Germany’s interior ministry, dismissed the claims that all Africans are now prohibited from entering the country.
“This claim is false and has no basis whatsoever,” Funke told AFP Fact Check.
In a press release, the interior ministry urged travellers and commuters to carry identity documents (archived here).
The press release said since controls were introduced along large parts of Germany’s eastern border in October last year, about 30,000 people had been refused entry.
“Entry is currently denied to people who do not have valid entry documents, who present forged or falsified documents, or who attempt to enter without a visa or valid residence title,” read the statement from the German government.
