Led by activist and political analyst Fred Ogola, the groups are demanding transparency regarding the operations at the Immigration Department housed and expressing concerns about the impact on job opportunities for Kenyans seeking to travel abroad.
Ogola raised questions about the department’s financial management, highlighting that payments made by applicants for passports, work permits, and marriage certificates should be sufficient to support the department’s operations. He referred to a report by the Chief Executive Officer of the Government Printer, Abdi Hassan Ali, which revealed that various government agencies, including those involved in the fertilizer subsidy and Huduma Namba projects, owed the printer Ksh450 million.
“They are denying Kenyans who are traveling outside the country opportunities for work and study. The department claims that they have not been paid Ksh450 million from different government agencies and, therefore, have no money”.
The groups also urged Kindiki to address allegations of bribery involving certain employees at Nyayo House, who allegedly demanded bribes of up to Ksh20,000 to expedite passport processing. These allegations contradicted the Immigration Department’s claim that the delays were caused by a printer malfunction.
“Some applicants are being asked for bribes as high as Ksh20,000 by corrupt officials at Nyayo House so that their passports are fast-tracked. Yet the same officials are claiming that the printers are not working,” Ogola stated.
Lobby groups called on the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to investigate the situation at Nyayo House and apprehend the staff involved in the bribery scheme. The groups have also called for the CS to vacate his office for failure to address this issue.
The Commission on Administrative Justice, commonly known as the Ombudsman, confirmed having received complaints from applicants about being overcharged for passport processing. It also highlighted the lack of suitable mechanisms to automate the refund of excess payments.
Our sources at the immigration department confirmed that one of the machines that prints the 34, 50, and 66-page passports had broken down in March 2023. Additionally, a shortage of booklets has hampered the printing of 66-page and 50-page passports in recent months.
The department is facing a backlog of 300,000 passports awaiting printing. The high demand for passports and the existing capacity limitations necessitate investment in modern printers for faster processing of travel documents.
In 2022, the Immigration Department shared plans to increase the passports submission centers from the current seven, to cover all 47 counties in the next five years to address the growing demand.
In the recent past, there has been an increase in demand for the Kenyan travel document which is now ranked 98 among the most powerful passports worldwide by Visalist, a global visa mapping platform. This is highlighted by data that shows that the number of passports processed and issued increased by 55.9 percent to 426,137 in 2022 as the state moved in to lift restrictions imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus, promoting travel across borders.
The government through a press statement released by the State Department of Immigration in May 2023, said those in urgent need of passports should contact the department and provide documentary proof of urgency.
