Gov't increases immigration department budget to Sh20.1bn amid rising passports demand
According to the Directorate of Immigration, an estimated 5,000 passport applications are processed daily, highlighting the growing demand for travel documents.
The Treasury has increased funding for the State Department of Immigration and Citizen Services by Sh5.9 billion to address the growing demand for passports, identity cards, and electronic travel authorisation (eTA).
The additional funds, captured in the latest supplementary budget, bring the department’s total allocation for the current financial year to Sh20.1 billion, up from Sh14.3 billion.
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The funding boost comes amid rising demand for travel documents as more Kenyans seek opportunities abroad for work and education.
According to the National Treasury, the increased allocation is intended to cover shortfalls in key areas, including e-passports, third-generation identity cards, e-Citizen services, and personal emoluments.
“The approved estimates have been revised from Sh14.3 billion to Sh20.1 billion under the financial year 2024/25 supplementary estimates no. II, reflecting an increase of Sh5.9 billion on account of the shortfall on personal emoluments, e-Citizen services, electronic travel authorization system (eTA), third-generation identity cards and e-passports,” the Treasury says in the supplementary budget estimates.
As a result, the Immigration Department is expected to scale up its operations, including maintaining the eTA system and doubling its purchase of passport booklets from one million to two million.
Additionally, the e-Citizen platform is set to expand, onboarding an extra 4,000 services, bringing the total to 15,000 by June, up from the previous target of 11,000.
Other key priorities in the revised budget include the full system rollout of the National Registration of Persons Bureau.
Immigration services and e-Citizen services will receive the bulk of the additional funds, with allocations of Sh3.5 billion and Sh2 billion, respectively. The National Registration Bureau and Civil Registration Services have been allocated Sh115.9 million and Sh100 million, while Sh125 million will go towards general administration and planning.
According to the Directorate of Immigration, an estimated 5,000 passport applications are processed daily, highlighting the growing demand for travel documents. The increased purchase of passport booklets is expected to help reduce the persistent backlog, which has been attributed to booklet shortages and system malfunctions.
In 2022, the department issued 426,137 passports, a sharp increase from 129,090 in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted both applications and processing.
In March last year, the then Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki, now the Deputy President, informed Parliament that the Immigration Department required three million passport booklets every 90 days, yet only 1.5 million were available
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