Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary Julius Bitok has directed individuals with pending passports to pick them up.
In a press statement released today, March 5, the PS explained that the department had intensified its operations and that affected individuals should pick up their passports to make room for new ones.
According to Bitok, there are 58,330 passports in the backlog, with Nairobi leading with 24,613, followed by Embu with 9,584.
Others include Kisumu (6,087), Mombasa (5,759), Eldoret (4,538), Nakuru (4,466), and Kisii (3,283).
"Applications are 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," Bitok stated.
"We urge applicants who have already been notified that their passports are ready
to collect them as soon as possible to free up storage space."
At the beginning of February, Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura revealed that delays in passport production had been caused by the failure of printing machines.
As a result, the department has procured two more machines to expedite the production process and reduce waiting times. It is anticipated that these two machines will facilitate the issuance of over 100,000 passports.
The directive comes as the state implements increased passport application fees which jumped by 75 per cent.
Kenyans will pay Ksh7,500 for an ordinary 34-page booklet while the ordinary 50-page booklet will cost Ksh9,500.
In contrast, the previous charge to acquire a 34-page booklet was Ksh4,500, and a 50-page document went for Ksh6,000. The charges for an ordinary 66-page booklet have increased from Ksh7,500 to Ksh12,500.
The guidelines now dictate that individuals replacing lost passports will pay Ksh20,000, up from the previous fee of Ksh12,000. Mutilated passports will also attract a fee of Ksh20,000, up from Ksh10,000, while an express passport will cost Ksh30,000.
