Kindiki Reveals Plan to Process Passports in 24Hrs

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has revealed that the government aims to process passports within 24 hours upon application.

In a statement dated Friday, September 27, the CS expressed that the goal was achievable owing to the investment that had been made in the printing machines.

Currently, the processing of passports takes seven days upon application.

Kindiki added that the government would reduce the processing timelines in the coming months as they gear towards the 24-hour mark.

"With the acquisition of two additional modern and high capacity printers, resolution of procurement constraints and settlement of pending supplier bills, the passport processing time has been reduced to seven days from the date of application and will be further reduced to three days by the end of this year and eventually to 24 hours," he stated.

Meanwhile, Kindiki noted that the government was establishing additional offices across the country to offer passport and immigration services to Kenyans.

Nonetheless, he acknowledged that many Kenyans were yet to collect their passports despite the completion of the processing.

"Reforms in the Immigration and Citizen Services have resulted in the resolution of the historical backlog in the processing of passports. 95,000 passports remain uncollected and applicants are encouraged to collect them from the Immigration offices," read the statement in part.

"Two regional immigration offices (Kericho and Bungoma) have been opened to facilitate easier access for persons seeking passports and other citizenship documents."