514,000 passports issued despite delays in application process - GPA
According to a progress report by the Governance and Public Administration (GPA) Subcommittee of the National Development Implementation Committee (NDIC), a total of 514,152 passports have been issued since the government took office in 2022.
The Kenya Kwanza administration has issued more than 500,000 passports in its first three years in office, even as persistent backlogs continue to pose challenges for applicants.
According to a progress report by the Governance and Public Administration (GPA) Subcommittee of the National Development Implementation Committee (NDIC), a total of 514,152 passports have been issued since the government took office in 2022.
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The report also highlighted that the backlog of uncollected passports has dropped from 90,000 to 56,000 in the past three months, signalling progress in clearing pending applications.
The update was presented during the subcommittee’s 12th meeting at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), chaired by Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, with Dr Aurelia Rono, Principal Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs, serving as vice-chair.
The report also noted the rollout of the Unique Personal Identifier, or Maisha Number, a digital ID system designed to replace fragmented identification records. The Maisha Number consolidates key personal information, including birth certificate numbers, National IDs, KRA PINs, and Social Health Authority (SHA) numbers. So far, 90,038 Maisha Numbers have been issued in Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos and Kajiado counties.
The committee further reported that over 22,000 government services have been digitised via the e-Citizen platform, and 48 agencies are now connected to the Maisha Integrated Database.
On legislative progress, the GPA subcommittee stated that eight bills and policies have been approved, while 10 bills and 17 statutory instruments remain pending. Notable bills include the Public Participation Bill, the Whistleblowers Bill, and the Anti-Corruption Bill.
“These bills reinforce the Government’s commitment to strengthening public trust, transparency, and accountability through more active civic engagement,” reads the report.
“To ensure wider public participation, the Government has undertaken national radio and television programming, vernacular language outreach, and collaboration with civil society across 14 counties.”
On security, the report highlighted ongoing peace and rehabilitation programs in the North Rift, a region long affected by banditry. It also noted that the County Government of West Pokot has allocated land for the reconstruction of Chesegon and Ksaa primary schools.
The GPA subcommittee further outlined reforms within the police, prisons and National Youth Service, including Phase 2 of salary and allowances reviews, a medical scheme for personnel, titling of police land and restructuring of security units.
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