Kenyans to Get Passports in Three Weeks as Govt Buys 100,000 Booklets
On Wednesday, April 5, Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary Julius Bitok stated that the government had acquired over 100,000 passport booklets.
The PS stated that the new materials would be essential for eradicating the backlog that has caused Kenyans to riot.
“Why are there no booklets with the issued passports? This has never occurred before, “An angry Kenyan was interrogated.
Bitok responded swiftly, announcing the arrival of booklets addressing the crisis.
Bitok said that they will soon have a permanent solution to the shortage of booklets and delay in issuing passports and that it is a work in progress. He kindly requested everyone to bear with them as they work on sorting out the issue. He also added that they had received printing booklets today to address the delays in passport issuance.
According to the PS, the acquisition was one of the urgent measures intended to implement solutions to promote the efficient delivery of services by the immigration department.
According to records from the Immigration Department, there are currently 63,265 pending passport applications, most of which are for the popular 34-page A-series.
The backlog results from a lack of booklets and increased demand for passports, especially among Kenyans seeking employment abroad and students enrolling in foreign institutions.
PS Bitok disclosed that the government is in discussions with potential investors to invest in local manufacturing of passports, which would result in faster and relatively cheaper supplies.
“We’re in talks with investors for Public-Private Partnerships (PPT) so that we can manufacture and print these documents here in Kenya,” said the PS.
Due to the booklet shortage, a backlog of 15,358 A-series, 10,045 B-series, and 37,810 C-series passports will be cleared with the new shipment.
Prof. Bitok also urged more Kenyans to apply for passports on the e-Citizen platform and take advantage of the digitization of government services.
Kenyans raised concerns regarding the delay and the apparent laxity of immigration officials in addressing the issue.
A concerned Kenyan appealed for help regarding the duration of their passport booklets by asking, “How long should we expect our passport booklets? My daughter’s passport has been pending since December 2022, and please help.”
Since the printer at the Directorate of Immigration Services has been repaired, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki assured Kenyans on February 4 that passport delays will no longer occur.
“The department has 50,000 34-page booklets with 200,000 more expected as well as a similar figure each month in the next six months,” the CS added.
He added that Kenyan passport holders would increase from 3.5 million to 10 million in the next five years.
Kenyans to Get Passports in Three Weeks as Govt Buys 100,000 Booklets
