MPs Endorse Reforms To Clear Passport Backlog At Nyayo House
The government will reinvest Ksh.20 billion, or 10 percent of the Immigration Department’s total revenue, to enhance the department’s infrastructure.
The department, which was facing a crisis due to a massive backlog in passport applications, has been financially starved in previous years, as all revenue generated from passport applications is transmitted to the National Treasury.
Principal Secretary Julius Bitok assured members of the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Administration and Security who toured the passport department that the processing time would be reduced to seven days.
Members of Parliament authorized the department’s reforms to eliminate the backlog.
The introduction of a day and night shift as a result of the reforms has increased the daily number of passports produced from 1,500 to 4,000.
Last month, over 100,000 passports were printed, reducing the backlog to approximately 43,000 passports.
To prevent another backlog, the chairman of the Committee, Gabriel Tongoyo, urged immediate implementation of the National Assembly’s directive to the Treasury allowing Immigration to retain a portion of the revenue generated by the Directorate to finance booklets and other recurring expenses.
“Once the resources have been availed, the printer is made available and the working force is there, they can be able to do the printing of passports without any problem,” said Tongoyo.
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He stated that the ongoing acquisition of two additional printers will increase the printing capacity to over 5,000 passports, allowing the document to be issued within seven days of application.
MPs urged the government to consider establishing mobile passport offices throughout Kenya to make it easier for more Kenyans to obtain the document.
They demanded that the onslaught on alleged brokers and corruption cartels in Nyayo House be extended to include Immigration officers who facilitate the vice.
Four brokers who were detained in Nyayo House on suspicion of corruption and swindling passport applicants are currently awaiting prosecution.
Immigration and Citizen Services PS Julius Bitok revealed that the revenue raised from passports had risen from Ksh14 billion to around Ksh.20 billion buoyed by a surge of applications by Kenyans seeking foreign jobs and further studies abroad.
With increased investments in printing equipment, the government is striving to reduce the waiting period for new passports to as little as three days, according to him.
MPs Endorse Reforms To Clear Passport Backlog At Nyayo House