Larry Madowo vents after 2 hour-wait at airport to enter Senegal
By Charles Ouma, February 9, 2026Renowned journalist Larry Madowo has vented his frustrations after encountering significant delays while entering Senegal.
The journalist who flew to the West African nation noted that what should have taken less time ended up taking two hours.
“I just took two hours waiting for a visa in Senegal to enter Dakar in a country where we are supposed to be visa-free,” Madowo said in a video posted on his Facebook account on Monday, February 9, 2026.
Hinting at what could have led to the delay, Larry cited the experience of waiting in one queue for minutes only to be told to move to another, where one has to wait at the end of the queue, with more time wasted in the process.
“These are just some of the joys of travelling in Africa, where you go to one queue, wait 30 minutes, and then, oh, no, you are not supposed to be here; go to that other queue. Then you go to the back and then wait another hour and a half,” he added.
Larry’s take
The Cable News Network (CNN) African correspondent for Africa summed up his experience with a statement on X in which he told Senegal to reconsider visa requirements for Africans.
“Dear Senegal, Africans should not need visas to travel in Africa,” Madowo said in a statement on Monday, February 9, 2026.
Madowo, who is known for documenting his experiences and giving his take as he globe-trots, highlighted the worrying state of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on April 16, 2024, resulting in a war of words with Kipchumba Murkomen, who was serving as the Cabinet Secretary for Transport at the time.
“I saw Larry taking videos at the airport. I was laughing because Larry was with us in the country for the last 50 years when that airport was like that. Suddenly, because he lives in ‘majuu’, his eyes are open, and he realises that there is no shade when you exit JKIA. It is not news that JKIA does not have a canopy for shielding passengers; it is a fact.
“I want to tell Kenyans that by the time we are going to the next elections, we will have a new terminal at least complete or almost complete that will make JKIA a more competitive airport with facilities that are enviable and make us an aviation hub,” Murkomen stated in response to Madowo’s concerns.
Larry steers conversation
The journalist redirected the conversation to real issues, pressing further and breaking down what Murkomen should focus on.
“This premium gaslighting, deflecting and trivialising the issue:
1. JKIA is 66 – almost 30 years older than me.
2. You don’t need a new pre-election terminal to build canopies for the existing ones.
3. I didn’t “suddenly” discover how bad it is; I’ve been complaining about JKIA for 10 years,” Madowo stated at the time.