Nairobi,
TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2024
McCreadie Andias
The State Department of Immigration and citizen services has been asked to deploy the rapid results initiative (RRI) that will help clear the passport backlog which has left thousands of Kenyans stranded.
Interior CS Prof Kithure Kindiki in a statement noted that the RRI initiative will be used to streamline the release of about 49,500 passports that were part of the previous 724,000 backlog, are delivered and collected within fourteen (14) days with effect from May 10, 2024.
Capital city Nairobi will release about 27,000 passports while Mombasa will release some 3,000 passports, Nakuru will release 4,200, Embu 4,500, Eldoret 3,900, Kisumu 3,900, Kisii – 3,000 while Kericho will release 400 held passports.
CS Kindiki admitted that the past three years has seen unprecedented backlog of passports which he attributed to underfunding, shortage of passport booklets, breakdown of printing equipment, corruption and poor public relations by staff.
To adress some of the previous challanges, Kindiki noted that the department of immigration has purchased sufficient stocks of passport booklets and new modern high-capacity printers have been acquired for personalization of passport details.