Immigration and Citizens Services Principal Secretary (PS) Julius Bitok has confirmed that the Directorate of Immigration Services has received 112,700 passport printing booklets to ease the passport backlog.
PS Bitok said the booklets received consist of 92,400 for 50 pages (B-series) and 20,300, for 66 pages (C- series).
"The Directorate of Immigration services received 112,700 passport booklets comprising 92,400, 50-page (B-series and 20,300, 66-page (C-series) last evening. This consignment is in addition to 50,000 50-page booklets received last week.
"Additional booklets, including the 34-page (A-series), have already been procured and are expected in the country from next month," the PS said on Thursday, March 21, 2024.
The PS also announced that applicants who are yet to collect their passports can track the status of their application by sending an SMS with their eCitizen application reference number to 22222.
"You can now track your passport application status by sending an SMS with your @eCitizenKenya application reference number to 22222," the statement read in parts.
You can now track your passport application status by sending an SMS with your @eCitizenKenya application reference number to 22222. pic.twitter.com/s5Rt507Qmh— Citizen Services KE (@C_ServicesKE) March 21, 2024
Bitok also confirmed that the Directorate of Immigration had procured two modern passport printing machines that will be ready for commissioning by April this year.
The move is meant to enhance the passport issuance capacity and reduce the waiting time following delay complaints by a section of applicants.
Upgrading the immigration facilities
PS Bitok additionally underscored that the directorate was undertaking a comprehensive infrastructural upgrade of its facilities to accommodate the increase in the number of clients and provide a user-friendly environment.
"To enhance the passport issuance capacity and reduce the waiting time, the Directorate has procured two modern passport printing machines that will be ready for commissioning by April 2024. Additional servers have also been installed to stabilise the system and secure relevant data," Bitok said.
At the same time, the PS clarified that the issuance of passports will be prioritised on a first-in-first-out basis.
He also advised applicants with pending 34-page passports who have urgent need to travel to upgrade their applications to the 50-page booklet for quicker issuance.
Those who wish to upgrade have been urged to do so via the eCitizen portal.
