Confusion with renewing tourist visa

You make the application through e-citizen.  If you haven't got an account, then you need to create one, which involves uploading a passport photo.

Okay I have had an account with e-citizen for a year now and have applied for visas through them before but I do not see an option for visa extension on the page. Is extending the same as applying for a new visa all over again?  Thanks

I last extended a visa before e-citizen was fully up and running.  However, Ive done a bit of research and on the e-citizen frequently asked questions site, it actually says that you go to Nyayo House!!

For some permit applications you complete the forms online, print and go to Nyayo House with them.  You could try that, although the renewal application form certainly used to be different.

http://evisa.go.ke/evisa-faqs.html

Yes we went back to Nyayo House this morning after completing the application online. Of course on the application it states the extension is free but when we got to the window the woman charged us 3000 Ksh stating that it was to cover 1000 shilling per month.

No its never been free!  Did you apply for your Foreigners Certificate too? You are technically supposed to.

Okay I don't know why they said it was free on the website when I applied. I've never heard of the Foreigner's Certificate. What is it exactly?

The Foreigners Certificate is an ID card.  After a stay of 90 days, visitors are supposed to register and that process results in a Foreigners Certificate being issued.  In reality, the certificate takes weeks and may not be actually issued until your 6 months is up.

Oh Okay. Thanks so much for letting me know all of this important stuff. I will check on it. Thanks!

You do the whole process at Nyayo House, by the way, during a single visit.  The whole thing took around an hour and a half.  Don't forget to go with passport photos!  Oh and take some wipes - you will be fingerprinted and the ink is a bit difficult to get off with the single wipe that they give you!

There has been a problem with the Immigration section of the eCitizen website for a week or so now. A lot of the functionality has disappeared, I used it to apply to renew my residence permit and apply for a new Foreigner Certificate (Alien Card) last year but last week a friend who is due to renew his permit went to the website but the functionality is missing. I looked and a lot of the functions, including the two I used as recently as November, are no longer there, my history has disappeared as well. The visa extension function is also missing.

BTW the cost for a visa extension was always 2,200/- (2,000 for the extension +200 for the card) when I used to renew my visas