Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary Julius Bitok has said that Kenya is set to receive two new passport printers by the end of March.
In a statement on Wednesday, Bitok who spoke after he received new passport printing booklets 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."
This comes even as Kenya grapples with a backlog, which has been attributed to use of an old printer and lack of printing booklets.
However, on March 5, PS Bitok assured Kenyans that the Directorate of Immigration Services had intensified its operations to process and print passports and to clear the backlog of applications that has been occasioned by a surge in demand.
He added that applications were being processed on a first-in-first-out basis subject to the availability of specific booklets determined by the number of pages paid for by each applicant.
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.
