Immigration Department receives additional booklets to ease passport backlog

The Directorate of Immigration Services has announced that it has received additional booklets for the printing of passports.

In a statement released on Thursday, Principal Secretary of Immigration Services Julius Bitok said the department last evening received 112,700 passport booklets.

The booklets comprise of 92,400, 50-page (B-series) and 20,300,66-page (C- series).

“This consignment is in addition to 50,000, 50-page booklets received last week,” Bitok said.

He added that additional booklets, including the 34-page (A-series), have already been procured and are expected in the country from next month.

However, he reiterated that the issuance of passports will be prioritised on a first-in-first-out basis.

Applicants with pending 34-page passports who have an urgent need to travel have been advised to upgrade their applications to the 50-page booklet through the eCitizen portal.

“No physical visit to Immigration offices is necessary to apply for the upgrade,” Bitok said.

Applicants with pending applications and those who are yet to collect their passports have been advised to track the status of their applications by sending an SMS with their eCitizen application reference code to 22222.

Printing machines

Bitok further said that the Directorate has procured two modern passport printing machines that will be ready for commissioning by April 2024.

He noted that this will enhance the passport issuance capacity and reduce the waiting time.

He added that the acquisitions will now see Kenyans receive their passports within 21 days.

"This evening, we've received printing booklets, a pivotal step in enhancing service delivery within the immigration department. With two new printers set to arrive by the end of this month and over 1 million booklets procured, expected to arrive soon, we're primed to efficiently address the passport backlog. This improvement ensures a smoother and faster process, ensuring that all applicants will now receive their passports within a maximum of 21 days,” Bitok said.

The PS said that additional servers have also been installed to stabilise the system and secure relevant data.

He also emphasised that they are currently undertaking a comprehensive infrastructural upgrade of its facilities to provide a user-friendly environment and accommodate the high rise in the number of clients.

This comes amid the country grappling with a passport backlog, which has been attributed to the use of an old printer and lack of printing booklets.

On March 5, Bitok assured Kenyans that the Directorate had intensified its operations to process and print passports and to clear the backlog of applications that has been occasioned by a surge in demand.