The government has installed two fully equipped halls at Nyayo House to expedite the issuance of passports and clear the backlog.
Speaking during a national border conference in Nairobi on Wednesday, the Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary (PS) Julius Bitok stated that the introduction of two state-of-the-art facilities would speed up the production of passports.
Bitok further urged Kenyans yet to pick up their passports from Nyayo House to clear the existing pileup.
The Immigration Department has also increased the biometric decks from 10 to 20 to enable those who apply for the documents to easily go through the process.
“I want to assure the country that the Immigration Department is working hard to ensure that everybody gets their passport on time and without delay,” Bitok stated.
People can check their passport progress by sending an SMS to 22222 to know the passport progress.
“Apply there, they do their biometrics within the shortest time. Send an SMS, and know whether your passport is in the process, ready for collection, or at what level.”
The Ps further noted that the government has introduced a recap programme to have the 700,000 refugees in Kakuma and Daadab to be integrated back into the Kenyan community.
“Initially, refugees were depending on the government for everything. Now we want to ensure we allow them to be able to contribute to national development,” he added.
Previously, Bitok advised Kenyans who have applied for the 34-page booklets to upgrade to the 50-page versions for quicker processing, after securing an additional 112,700 booklets.
The PS noted that there was a delay in delivery for the 34-page booklets, with the last consignment containing 92,400 50-page booklets and 20,300 66-page booklets.
Currently, the 50-page passport booklets go for Ksh9,500 while the 34-page booklets cost Ksh7,500.
