39,500 passports remain uncollected from 724,000 backlog - Kindiki

Interior CS Kithure Kindiki has said that all the 724,000 pending passports have been printed.

The CS said that the passports were part of the historical backlog that had accumulated between June 2021 and March 2024.

Kindiki added that 684,500 of them have already been collected by their holders.

"It took a bit of time to get exchequer funding, pay pending supplier debts, dismantle the corruption cartels, and acquire and install modern, high-capacity printing equipment," he said.

The CS said that the ministry will now fastrack the collection of 39,500 ready but uncollected passports from the backlog lot.

Kindiki said that all new applicants will receive their passports within 21 days from the date of application, while urgent cases will receive theirs immediately.

The directive will take effect from August 1, 2024, the waiting period will be reduced to seven days and further to three days effective November 1, 2024.

He said the move will sustain the production and delivery systems to ensure that the reform program prevails in the long term and create system efficiency in the archival, record management, registry and Information Technology management.

The CS spoke when he visited Nyayo House for a service delivery efficiency review meeting and inspected the production, registry, and archival facilities.

Kindiki further interacted with passport applicants to pick new ideas for improvement areas.

Kindiki had earlier directed the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services to ensure 49,500 uncollected passports are delivered and collected within 14 days effective May 10.

He directed the department to roll out a Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) to ensure the documents were cleared within the set timeline.

The CS said there were 27,000 uncollected passports in Nairobi, Mombasa (3,000), Nakuru (4,200), Embu (4,500), Eldoret (3,900), Kisumu (3,900), Kisii (3,000) and Kericho (400).

Kindiki said the government had availed adequate resources for passport production with ease.

Over the past three years, many applicants for passports faced inconveniences occasioned by underfunding, shortage of passport booklets, breakdown of printing equipment, corruption and poor public relations by staff.

The Immigration Department announced that from Monday, May 13, to Friday, May 18, it will be fast-tracking passport delivery in all passport application centres.

In a notice issued on Sunday, the department said the exercise will be carried out in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret, Embu, Nakuru, Kisii and Kericho.

"To enhance passport issuance, we have dedicated May 13 to May 18, 2024, to the fast-tracking of passport delivery in all passport application centres across the country," it stated.

The department advised applicants who have received notification that their passports are ready for collection to take advantage of the exercise.