Kenya's passports to be out in 3 days after application

NAIROBI, Kenya - Applicants of the Kenyan passport will only wait for three days before getting hold of the vital document, Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang'i has said.

Kenyan passport is among those cherished in the world and the bureaucracy has been subjected to often raises public outcry.

But the reformist minister on Friday termed the seven-day official wait "unjustified", arguing that the document should henceforth be out after three days.

In the future, Dr. Matiang'i added, the delay would be reduced to just a day, arguing that the ministry has enough manpower to deliver.

"We have had people waiting for seven days for their passports, but applicants will now get their passports after three days. We want to reduce these delays even further to a day," he said.

Seven-day wait abolished

Although the official wait was just seven days, some applicants could take even several months before getting the documents, reports revealed.

The latest announcement is part of President Uhuru Kenyatta's commitment to improving service delivery, the minister said.

Immigration department, he said, had no choice but to fasten service delivery in compliance with government policies, some dating back to 90s.

Application for passports is handled by the country's immigration department which is supervised by the Ministry of Interior and Coordination.

Corruption in the department

The long wait would substantially block channels of corruption which have seen brokers make millions of dollars through corruption, Matiang'i said.

Several complaints have been reported to the state about rogue officials who have often taken advantage of the situation to con applicants.

He said: "We do not want long queues and brokers in these offices. We will streamline the issuance of services and will not condone nonsense."

Officials from the department who work with unscrupulous extortionists to defraud unsuspecting citizens will be sacked, he added.

Decentralization if Immigration services

Kenya decentralized immigration services when Dr. Matiang'i took over the ministry in 2018. Previously, Nairobi was used as the center.

But interested applicants can now get passports in Eldoret, Kisumu, Kisii, Nakuru, Mombasa and most recently, Garissa.

President Uhuru Kenyatta unveiled the Garissa Immigration Center last month when he visited the region to commission Modika Barracks.

Trusted by the Head of State, Dr. Matiang'i has spearheaded the president's legacy mission and has been in government since 2013.

GAROWE ONLINE