The Directorate of Immigration has said in six months it will dispose of uncollected passports.
In a statement by the PS for the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services Julius Bitok, he said this is to free storage space at the Department.
"To free up limited storage space, applicants are notified that DIS will dispose of all uncollected passports six months from the date of this notice," he said.
The notice is dated July 31, 2024.
Bitok said this is in line with Section 31 of the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act and Regulations, Disposal of Uncollected Goods Act (CAP 38) and International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) regulations on the delivery of travel documents.
Currently, the Directorate is holding 110,059 uncollected passports in its offices.
The offices include Nairobi (55,5042), Kisumu (11,7073), Embu (10,8164), Mombasa (8,6965), Nakuru (8,6156), Eldoret (8,5517), Kisii (5,7198), Kericho (3,899) and Bungoma (62).
Bitok said to ease passport delivery, the Directorate has suspended the requirement for applicants to book an appointment to collect their passports.
He advised applicants who are yet to collect their passports to do so at the station where they submitted their application.
Further, in line with the Presidential directive to facilitate travel for Kenyans pursuing job opportunities outside the country, the Directorate has set up dedicated Migrant Labour counters to fast-track passport applications.
Bitok advised applicants seeking the service to present their papers, which must include documents of proof of intent issued by the relevant institution.
Bitok also stated that they have provided mechanisms to promote transparency, facilitate self-tracking and provide prompt feedback.
"To find out their passport application status, applicants can send a Short Message Service (SMS) with their eCitizen tracking number (e.g., EPPI-D6T8M4H1) to 22222," Bitok said.
