The government has received more than 112,700 passport printing booklets to ease delays witnessed in the issuance of the critical travelling document, Immigration PS Julius Bitok has said.
Immigration and Citizen Services PS on Thursday announced that the booklets arrived in the country on Wednesday evening.
“They comprise 92,400,50-page (B-series) and 20,300,66-page (C-series) which we received last evening,” he said in a statement.
The consignment as stated by Bitok is in addition to 50,000, 50-page booklets received last week.
Additional booklets, including the 34-page (A-series), have already been procured and are expected in the country from next month.
Going further, PS Bitok stated that the issuance of passports will be prioritised on a first-in-first-out basis.
Applicants with pending 34-page passports who have an urgent need to travel have been advised to upgrade their applications to the 50-page booklet through the eCitizen portal.
Bitok pointed out that no physical visit to Immigration offices is necessary to apply for the upgrade.
In addition to that, the PS announced that applicants with pending applications and those who are yet to collect their passports can track the status of their applications by sending an SMS with their eCitizen application reference code to 22222.
Bitok also said the state expects to receive another one million books in the coming weeks.
The Principal Secretary said that with the additions, the country is now well-prepared to address the passport backlog issue.
Bitok said the acquisitions will now see Kenyans receive their passports within 21 days.
“This evening, we’ve received printing booklets, a pivotal step in enhancing service delivery within the immigration department. With two new printers set to arrive by the end of this month and over 1 million booklets procured, expected to arrive soon, we’re primed to efficiently address the passport backlog,” Bitok said.
“This improvement ensures a smoother and faster process, ensuring that all applicants will now receive their passports within a maximum of 21 days.”
Last month, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki took fault for the delayed progress in passport issuance.
Kindiki acknowledged the pain and frustration experienced by many Kenyans seeking passports for various reasons, resulting in lost employment opportunities and restricted travel for medical care, education, business, or leisure.
“The prevailing state of affairs is inexcusable, considering that it is the right of every Kenyan to acquire citizenship documents, including travel documents. As the Cabinet Secretary overseeing passport issuance, I take responsibility for the slow pace of reforms and the prevailing systemic inefficiencies,” he said.
The CS highlighted that it was a result of years of insufficient investment in production infrastructure, accumulating supplier debts, and corrupt practices.
Kindiki also committed to conclusively resolving the challenges surrounding passport issuance, aiming to create efficiency and timely service delivery in the shortest time possible.
