Passports –Those who have been not collected their passports can now be sure of receiving the booklets in weeks’ time.
Immigration department yesterday April 5 said more than 60,000 applicants who have been awaiting their Kenyan passports will finally receive them within a three-week period.
Principal Secretary Prof. Julius Bitok assured that the backlog of applications will be cleared in the next 21 days after the government received over 100,000 passport blank booklets.
“It will take you 21 days to receive your passport if you apply on the e-Citizen platform”, the PS said on Wednesday.
Data from the Immigration Department indicated that there are currently 63,265 passport applications pending issuance to applicants most of who have been waiting for more than a year.
Bitok defended the delay saying backlog had been caused by a shortage of booklets and an increase in demand for passports as hundreds of Kenyans seek to move out of the country for greener pastures abroad.
To address the problem, PS Bitok has revealed that the government is in talks with potential investors to invest in local manufacturing of passports, for faster and comparatively cheaper supplies.
