The Ministry of Interior and National Administration State Department for Immigration & Citizen Services through the Directorate of Immigration has issued a status update on passports application and collection.
In a notice on Friday November 15, 2024, the Directorate of Immigration (DIS) stated that it has reformed its operations and invested in strategic resources to enhance efficiency.
The reforms are meant to speed up the issuance of passports and other services.
According to DIS, the first intervention is clearance of passports backlog, noting that it has expanded its passport-issuance capacity by investing in advanced printers and deploying more staff to meet an ever-growing demand for services.
In addition, it has remodeled the passport collection stations to provide more service counters and a friendlier environment.
This intervention, DIS says, has effectively supported the clearance of the historical backlog of unprinted passports.
The DIS has expanded to regional offices
Principal Secretary in charge of Citizen Services Dr. Julius Bitok said another intervention is the expansion of regional offices.
Bitok noted that DIS has opened regional Immigration offices in Kericho and Bungoma to ease access to our services and reduce pressure on Nyayo House headquarters.
He explained that additional regional offices will soon be opened in Garissa, Nyeri and Machakos. Guided by the demand for services while consideration for more offices will be extended to other counties.
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Furthermore, DIS has set up dedicated desks for labour migration. To support the travel requirements of Kenyans seeking job opportunities outside the country, DIS has put up dedicated Migrant Labour counters to fast-track passport applications.
Regarding this, applicants that are seeking this service must attach the relevant proof to support the application.
Open and Transparent Services
The DIS endeavors to have an open and transparent services. This intervention has been demonstrated through the availability of prescribed fees for passports and other DIS services listed on the official website(s).
This therefore means that eligible passport applicants and other clients DO NOT need to pay bribes or offer any other inducement to obtain services.
“We have opened up our processes to self-tracking to enhance transparency and deter corruption. We urge clients to immediately report any attempts at bribery or extortion using provided-for platforms for prompt action,” Dr. Bitok said.
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The DIS has also provided mechanisms to promote transparency, facilitate self-tracking, and provide prompt feedback.
Applicants who wish to access their passport application status, can send a Short Message Service (SMS) with their eCitizen tracking number (e.g. EPPI- D6T8M4H1) to 22222.
As t now, the DIS is holding 65,589 uncollected passports. It has now suspended the booking of an appointment to collect a passport in order to hasten the process.
The department has also issued a link where applicants can check whether their passports are ready.
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