The Members of Parliament urged the government to open more immigration offices across the country to make it easier to acquire passports.
The displacement has led to the loss of vital documents including ID, passports, and other certificates crucial for daily identification and transactions.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki addressed the technical failure on Tuesday, mentioning that engineers had been swiftly deployed to rectify the issues.
Out of the 49,500 passports, Nairobi leads with 27,000 uncollected passports followed by Embu at 4,500 and Nakuru with 4,200.
This comes barely a week after Kindiki announced the acquisition of new printing machines which would address the delay of passport issuance.
The Interior ministry's goal is to double the number of passports issued in 2024 to at least one million, up from last year's 533,000.
He assured Kenyans that out of the remaining 50,000, only 10,000 are pending, with 40,000 ready for collection.
PS Bitok revealed that two new passport printing machines have been delivered for installation in Nyayo House.
Alongside the newly established halls, the Immigration Department has doubled its biometric deck capacity, expanding from 10 to 20 stations.
CS Kindiki emphasised that his ministry had failed to meet its promise of issuing passports within seven days of application.
During a session with MPs on Thursday, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki revealed the crackdown, disclosing that an intelligence-led investigation had led to the apprehending of 17 officers.
PS Bitok said additional booklets, including the 34-page (A-series), have already been procured and are expected in the country from next month.
Private employment agency representatives raised concerns about lengthy candidate training, high license renewal fees, and cumbersome passport and travel document acquisition processes.
Nairobi has the highest number of uncollected passports at 24,613, followed by Embu at 9,584, Kisumu at 6,087, Mombasa (5,759), Eldoret (4,538), Nakuru (4,466) and Kisii (3,283).
The ordinary passport (34 pages) that costs Sh4,500 will now cost Sh7,500.
The CS also ordered a crackdown on corrupt officials at the Immigration Department to face action which includes dismissal for undermining reforms.
The team will also seek to identify challenges faced by the residents in the acquisition of the documents.
Interior minister says the backlog stands at 1.1 million passports yet the department can only issue 5,000 out of the daily requirement of 20,000.
Govt. spokesman says two new passport printing machines are expected by the end of February.
Government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura acknowledged that the government is currently facing challenges in the issuance of passports to applicants.