At the end of last month, the Government of Kenya (GoK) promised a maximum of 21 days to process the Kenyan passport. Now, GoK is doubling down on that promise going even further to assure Kenyans of quicker turnaround times by the end of this year. After receiving new printers and more passport booklets, the Cabinet Secretary of Interior and Administration of National Government, Kithure Kindiki promised passports could soon take just 3 days to process.
“We have given a commitment now that we have sufficient booklets, we have sufficient printing capacity. We have given a commitment that the new applicants will be collecting their passports within 21 days. From the 1st of August, we will reduce that time to seven days and from 1st of November, we will reduce further to three days,” stated CS Kindiki.
In his press address, the CS announced that the State Department of Immigration and Citizen Services is putting together a plan to upgrade the passports. If approved by the Cabinet, Kenyans will be issued with new 3rd generation passports.
“We can also upgrade at the end of the year our passport to a third-generation passport which is superior and which meets the standards of the first world type of passports, so that our passports can be as strong and as secure as the passports that are issued in the first world.,” added the CS.
Kenyan Passport 24Hr Printing
While receiving the new printers and 34-page booklets, Principal Secretary of State Department for Immigration & Citizen Services, Julius Bitok, promised that printing would be done day and night. Furthermore, to reduce the current backlog, the department has increased the number of staff and has increased the counters from 14 to 40.
“The inception of these new printers is a turning point in service delivery. We have new printers now, but I want to say that starting now, we shall ensure that passports are printed day and night and ensure that the thing of the backlog is a thing of the past.,” stated PS Bitok.
