Kithure Kindiki Gives Kenyans 30 Days to Collect Passports
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has given Kenyans whose passports are located in various centers across the nation thirty days to retrieve them.
During the inauguration of the Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) at the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services, Kindiki announced that 87,574 passports have already been printed and are available for pickup.
He added that new processors had been acquired to expedite the printing process, which has a backlog of over 120,000 passports.
Therefore, the CS stated that as of Monday, September 25, all applicants whose passports are stored at various facilities will have 30 days to retrieve them.
“We are commencing a rapid results initiative for the delivery of uncollected passports and all beneficiaries must collect them within the period specified,” he stated.
“This period will start running from Monday, September 25, to allow members of the public to receive adequate notices as to the availability of their passports and the place it is lying and the notice to collect those passports.”
He added that the passports that are currently available for collection were printed three months ago.
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Nairobi ranked first with 36,170, followed by Mombasa with 5,424.
“From where we sit, over 120,000 passports which ought to have been produced by now. Technically, that backlog ought to be cleared. However, we are not in a position to audit the system and make sure the entire historical backlog is gone until we release to the public all the uncollected passports that are ready,” he added.
“Every week, we are going to publicize in the media, website, the state department for immigration website and social media, all the applicants who must collect their passports the following week,” he added, indicating that the names will be published every Wednesday.
The decision was influenced by the Ministry’s strategy to decongest Nyayo House and other centers and to streamline the passport application process in Kenya.
To maximize service delivery, the working hours of the passport printing offices were modified to operate from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
The CS also made unannounced visits to the offices to ensure that the government implements policies to discourage loiterers who typically congregate around immigration offices from doing so to facilitate more efficient service delivery.
Kithure Kindiki Gives Kenyans 30 Days to Collect Passports