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Government installs halls at Nyayo House to expedite passport application process

The Kenyan passport. (Photo: File)

By Amina Bonaya | 04 Apr 2024

Alongside the newly established halls, the Immigration Department has doubled its biometric deck capacity, expanding from 10 to 20 stations.

The government has installed two fully equipped halls at Nyayo House to address the increasing demand for passports and alleviate congestion at Immigration offices.

Speaking at the ongoing three-day national border conference in Nairobi, Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary (PS) Julius Bitok stated that introducing the newly established state-of-the-art facilities would speed up passport production while ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery.

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Alongside the newly established halls, the Immigration Department has doubled its biometric deck capacity, expanding from 10 to 20 stations.

"I want to assure the country that the Immigration Department is working hard to ensure everybody gets their passport on time and without delay," Bitok stated.

This expansion aims to streamline the passport application process for Kenyans. Bitok reiterated the department's unwavering commitment to timely passport issuance, affirming ongoing initiatives to eliminate any potential delays.

Kenyans can now track the progress of their passport application by sending an SMS to 22222. He encouraged Kenyans who are yet to collect their ready passports to do so in a bid to accelerate the backlog clearance process.

"Apply there, they do their biometrics within the shortest time. Send an SMS, and know whether your passport is in the process, ready for collection, or at what level," he said.

The PS recommended that applicants who had initially applied for the 34-page passport booklets upgrade to the 50-page passport to expedite processing, noting that the department is experiencing delays in delivering the 34-page booklets.

He noted that the department has secured an additional 112, 700 booklets with the most recent shipment carrying 92,400 for the 50-page booklets and 20,300 for the 66-page booklets.

In addition, the government will receive two more passport printers next week.