How Immigration Officers are Soliciting Bribes from Kenyans Seeking Passports

Corrupt officials at the Kenyan immigration department are reportedly soliciting bribes from Kenyans in exchange for services.

Investigations by Nation newspaper have revealed the frustrations Kenyans seeking crucial documents such as passports are being put through in an attempt to lure them to part ways with money to get the services.

The paper reports that the officers are demanding a bribe of at least Sh2,500 from applicants to be issued with documents they applied for, even after paying the mandatory requisite fees.

Kenyans who are unable to cough the bribe are forced to make endless visits to the Immigration counters, being turned away every time they appear. They are told their documents have not been processed.

For instance, it should take about 10 working days for one to get a passport they applied for and at least five days for other documents.

Ian Mwangi, who applied for a passport on February 23rd waited for more than a month to get the document.

“I went to collect my passport on the day that I was told by the immigration officials, only to be told it was not ready and I had to come back after a week,” he said.

When he returned at Nyayo House a week later, he was turned away again on ground that the document was not ready.

Daily Nation was forced to seek intervention of Immigration PS Dr Gordon Kihalang’wa on behalf of Mwangi. The PS confirmed Mwangi's passport was ready. 

“The passport is ready. I was told,” he said in a text message.

However, when Mwangi visited immigration offices to collect it the following week, he met a broker hovering around the waiting bay. He was told he's not going to get the passport unless he gives the bribe.

“This is how it works; you will have to pay some money for you to get it, or you will have to wait for ages,” said the broker, who asked for Sh2,500.

“Out of this, Sh1,000 will be paid at the Dispatch Department where the file is, Sh1,000 will go to the officer at the Immigration desk, while the remaining Sh500 will go to the person who will deliver it to you,” he said.

It was at 2pm and the broker promised to deliver the passport at 5pm, which he did.

The immigration office falls under the Interior Ministry, which was ranked the most corrupt state department by the anti-corruption commission in the 2016 Corruption Index.