By Lauryne Akoth
The government has announced plans to issue 3 million digital National IDs and I million passports this year.
According to a press statement by the government’s spokesperson dated 13th April 2024, the move is aimed at facilitating the ease of access to registration documents by Kenyans.
To achieve this target, the government has acquired two new passport printing machines that have been delivered to Nyayo House for installation. The state has also announced the commissioning of more printers next week.
“The government will be commissioning the new printers next week. We are determined to render delays in the issuance of passports a thing of the past as we have secured the necessary resources to procure sufficient booklets and other recurrent expenses,” read the statement in part.
Furthermore, the state has announced that the new passports target is nearly double the 533,000 issued in the previous year with the higher output pegged on the combined printing capacity of 600 passports per hour by the new machines.
“Their installation is expected to reduce the waiting time for issuing passports to less than 14 working days,” read the statement.
As for National IDs, the government intends to issue 1.2 million digital IDs to first-time applicants and 1.6 million duplicate IDs to build on the 733,000 Maisha cards issued to date.
In line with President Ruto’s directive to eliminate the vetting process for ID applicants in Northern Kenya and other border regions, this requirement will be discontinued starting next month.
The government has also announced the opening of new immigration offices in Nyeri, Bungoma, and Garissa to distribute access to passports, permits, and other services across various regions.
“To decentralize access to passports, permits, and other services, the Directorate of Immigration will also open new offices in Nyeri, Bungoma, and Garissa and invest in government-owned passport and border management systems to provide real-time data on the entry and exit of all travellers,” said the state’s spokesperson.