• Speaking when he inspected newly acquired passport printing machines on Monday, Kindiki said all other issues that facilitated the delays have also been resolved.
• Kindiki reiterated the state's commitment to streamline the passport application process for all Kenyans.
Image: MINA
Interior CS Kithure Kindiki has said passport applications will from September 1st take three days to be processed.
Before then, the CS said Kenyans would from May 1, have their passport applications processed within three weeks adding that the days will reduce as time goes by.
"The Government reiterates its commitment to ensure that effective 1st May 2024, all applications for the Kenyan passport will be processed within 21 days from the date of application," the CS said.
"This period will reduce to 7 days from August 1, 2024 and 3 days from 1st September 2024."
Kindiki said the new mode of operations has been made possible following the acquisition of printing machines on Monday
He said that the government has addressed issues that caused delays in the processing of the passport.
"The historical backlog in the processing of the Kenyan passport has been conclusively resolved and the bottlenecks that had resulted in the frustration of many applicants addressed," the CS said.
"The Government has facilitated the acquisition of adequate passport printing equipment, paid all the pending supplier bills, and addressed the supply chain constraints."
He noted that the high number of pending passports which stood at 724,000 by March 11, has been effectively reduced by a huge margin.
The CS said he has now tasked the Directorate of Immigration to develop a passport production and collection sustainability plan within this week, to ensure that there is no backlog reoccurrence.
"The 50,000 applications that were pending on Thursday, last week have been produced and are ready for delivery," he said.
"The Directorate of Immigration will embark on a Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) to expedite the collection of passports, and publish names of the applicants and the designated collection points by next week."
Last month, Kindiki said that at least 17 officers in the immigration department at Nyayo House had been arrested and charged in renewed efforts to dismantle cartels' frustrating reforms in passport processing and issuance.
Kindiki told MPs that the 17 officers were arrested in a crackdown following an intelligence-led investigation.
“Detectives are also zeroing in on more culprits in a renewed push to dismantle the complex cartel that has long frustrated the reform efforts at Nyayo House and other immigration offices across the country,” the CS said.
In September 2023, the government initiated an ambitious programme aimed at transforming the immigration department and launched a crackdown to rid Nyayo House of corrupt officials following a public uproar about the sluggish processing and issuance of passports.