Gov't to Introduce New Passport for Select Applicants

The government is preparing to introduce a new service passport for public servants and state officers who undertake official assignments abroad but do not qualify for diplomatic passports.

Appearing before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security on Thursday, November 5, Immigration Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang said the new document had already been printed and would be issued once the necessary regulations were finalised.

Join our WhatsApp Channel for the latest news updates.

The service passport, which is expected to be green in colour, will provide an additional category of official travel document alongside ordinary and diplomatic passports.

Kipsang explained that the document was intended for government officials travelling abroad on official assignments who were not included in the categories eligible for diplomatic passports.

He told the committee that the service passport had previously been issued to members of the disciplined services, including police officers and military personnel undertaking official foreign assignments.

The announcement came as MPs questioned the existing regulations governing the issuance of diplomatic passports, with concerns that some constitutional office holders and independent commissions had been unfairly excluded from the list of beneficiaries.

The committee, chaired by Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo, was considering a petition by the Commission on Administrative Justice, also known as the Office of the Ombudsman, which raised concerns over alleged discrimination in the allocation of diplomatic passports.

The petition questioned why some constitutional office holders and commissioners serving in independent commissions were excluded while individuals occupying comparable positions were eligible for the travel document.

In response, Kipsang said the government was willing to review the regulations, which were introduced in 2012, to address the concerns and accommodate changes brought about by the 2010 Constitution and the establishment of additional constitutional offices.

The Principal Secretary said the department recognised the need to ensure fairness while maintaining the integrity of diplomatic passports, which carry privileges and recognition when holders travel internationally on official duties.

Teso North MP Oku Kaunya urged the department to ensure that the proposed amendments captured all relevant constitutional offices and addressed the omissions raised by the committee.

"If you are doing a revision, it is important to ensure that it is inclusive in the sense of what the Constitution provides. All those offices that the Constitution expressly puts in one category should be included," he said.

Committee Vice-Chairperson and Saku MP Dido Raso also sought clarification on whether public officers whose positions were not expressly listed in the regulations could still qualify for diplomatic passports when travelling on official government assignments.

He observed that the explanations provided by the department suggested that eligibility was not necessarily restricted to the categories specifically outlined in the regulations.

"From your response, one thing that clearly stands out is that the diplomatic passport is meant to afford holders immunities and privileges during official international travel. That does not necessarily exclude others," he stated.

Kipsang explained that Regulation 13 of the existing framework empowered the Cabinet Secretary responsible for immigration to authorise the issuance of diplomatic passports to individuals outside the specified categories where circumstances warranted it.

He maintained that diplomatic passports were primarily intended to facilitate official international travel and the execution of diplomatic responsibilities.

"The diplomatic passport is an official travel document intended to facilitate travel in connection with official duties and diplomatic functions. Its issuance must therefore be undertaken with due consideration and caution, taking into account the mandate and functions of the office bearers," he said.

This comes days after a Somali national was convicted by the JKIA Law Courts after fraudulently obtaining Kenyan identity documents and a passport through false declarations.

In a statement on Thursday, October 29, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said Mohamud Mohammed Roble was arrested after detectives from the Immigration and Citizen Services Investigations unit took over the case from immigration officials at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).

The DCI said investigations revealed that Roble had unlawfully acquired Kenyan registration documents, which he later used to obtain a passport.

"Investigations established that Roble, a Somali national, had obtained Kenyan registration documents and subsequently secured a Kenyan passport through false declarations," the statement read.

The evidence gathered by detectives led to Roble being arraigned before the JKIA Law Courts, where he pleaded guilty to all three charges relating to his unlawful presence in Kenya and the fraudulent acquisition and use of identity documents.

The court fined him Ksh370,000 in total, with Ksh150,000 imposed for unlawfully being present in Kenya, Ksh150,000 for making a false declaration to obtain a Kenyan passport, and Ksh70,000 for knowingly presenting an identity card containing false entries with the intention of deceiving authorities.

The court also ordered imprisonment in default of payment of the respective fines, meaning Roble would face jail terms if he failed to pay the penalties imposed for the offences.

In addition to the fines, the court directed that Roble be repatriated to Somalia upon payment of the penalties.

"His fraudulently obtained Kenyan passport was ordered to be surrendered to the Director General of Immigration Services for destruction," the statement added.