Matiang'i's Ministry Extends Deadline to Acquire E-Passport

Interior CS Fred Matiang'i addresses the press from his offices on November 12, 2018.
Interior CS Fred Matiang'i addresses the press from his offices on November 12, 2018.
The Standard

The Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government has extended the deadline for the migration to the second generation passports as it had earlier directed.

In a statement released on Monday, February 24, the ministry announced that it had extended the deadline by 12 months and set a new deadline for March 1, 2021.

"The government is progressively phasing out the old, ordinary passports as part of Kenya's commitment to migrate to the new passports with ICAO specifications.

"However, we note with concern that 1.8 million Kenyans, mostly in the diaspora, are yet to replace their old passports with the East African Community biometrics e-passports.

"Due to this, the government hereby extends the deadline for voiding the current dark blue machine-readable passport by 12 months. As such, its holders may continue using it until March 1, 2021, when it will no longer be valid for traveling," the statement reads.

A photo of the Kenyan passport (left) and the East African Community (EAC) passport (left).
A photo of the Kenyan passport (left) and the East African Community (EAC) passport (left).
File

The ministry further announced that in an effort to rationalize the issuance of the e-passports, it has set up and operationalized four passport control centers across the country.

The four centers, they announced, were located in Nakuru, Kisii, Eldoret, and Embu.

The ministry further indicated that it had set up six other centers in the diaspora, with three in Europe (Berlin, Paris, and London) and one in the US (Washington DC).

The government has also set up a center in Johannesburg, South Africa and Dubai to facilitate the new passport measures.

Matiang'i called upon all those who were yet to convert to the e-passports as earlier urged to take advantage of the new extensions to fulfill the requirements

"Considering this is the second extension, the 1.8 million Kenyans still holding the dark blue passport are urged to take full advantage of the period to acquire the EAC-format electronic passports as early as possible.

"They should do this to avoid a last-minute rush, unnecessary jam-ups at the centers and traveling inconveniences," the statement reads.

People queue for passports outside the Nyayo House headquarters in Nairobi.
People queue for passports outside the Nyayo House headquarters in Nairobi.
Daily Nation

The Interior Ministry also announced that plans were still underway to ensure that the same-day issuance of passports became a reality by July 1, 2020.

 

  • .