Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura has reported that the government will fast-track the issuance of passports and ID cards.
“Government has undertaken to meet the promises that bind it to a covenant of socio-political inclusion and economic empowerment of all citizens and respond to the people’s needs, which include faster processing of these vital documents,” he read from a written statement.
Speaking during a press briefing at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, the Government Spokesperson, Dr Isaac Mwaura, said the covenant put the government on its toes and true to its commitment, through the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
While acknowledging Kenyan’s complaints of delayed issuance of passports, Dr Mwaura explained that the problem was being addressed, attributing its persistence to delayed supply and slow delivery by suppliers of the 34-page passport booklets, which normally goes for Sh. 4,550.
He disclosed that the documents are usually printed outside the country for security reasons, leaving only the applicant’s Bio-data page to be printed locally upon application.
However, Dr Mwaura reaffirmed that a consignment of the booklets has been sourced and will land in the country soon and the problem will be a thing of the past.
“In the meantime, those with urgent needs for a passport are advised to apply for the 50-page passports, which are in plenty,” he advised.
The Government Spokesperson further revealed that 600,000 applications were pending at the civil registration offices countrywide, even as some other 684,000 IDs lie uncollected by the applicants countrywide.
He assured the public that once the appeal was granted, the government would embark on massive production of vital identification documents to clear the backlog within the shortest time possible.
“We appeal to those yet to collect their documents to do so, to avoid inconveniences in their official, as well as private transactions,” said Dr Mwaura.