Passport Fees for Kenyans in the Diaspora Doubled

By BRIAN NGUGI
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Kenya’s public debt has for the first time exceeded the Sh4.5 trillion mark, reflecting the Jubilee government’s increasing appetite for loans despite recent warnings over the pace at which the debt is accumulating.

The Treasury’s latest Quarterly Economic and Budgetary Review report indicates that total public debt stood at Sh4.57 trillion at the end of December 2017 as the build-up of massive borrowing that began five years ago continued unabated.

“The gross public debt increased by Sh746.7 billion, from Sh3.82 trillion as at end of December 2016 to Sh4.57 trillion by December 31, 2017,” says the Treasury in its latest public debt report.

The mountain of debt comprises of 51.9 per cent of foreign loans and 48.1 per cent of domestic loans and does not include recent borrowings, such as last week’s Sh210 billion Eurobond.

I mara,You are correct. IMF has warned Kenya that at the rate its borrowing,the economy cannot be sustained. In 2014 the public debt was slightly under a trillion,three years later, its 4.4 trillion.WooWow. That's unsustainable.
It is interesting to note that when african countries were garnering independence in the 60s,they hardly inherited any debt.This debt binging started in the 80s when african countries went wild with borrowing, Kenya included.The lenders realized that some would never pay so they instituted loan forgiveness programs for those countries that qualified.Here is the kicker,these funds where intended to build roads, ports,power plants schools,hospitals with the understanding that these undertaking would spur economic growth and development and thus create capacity to repay the loans.This never happened.Why.you ask.Corruption.Very weak debt accounting,inept loan accounting,poor cash-flow forecasting.Basically shithole debt management.Can we dig ourselves out of this debt? Yes.Quit borrowing and tighten our belts.Starting by slashing Mpigs benefits,and salary.And those who wont like it are free to look for higher pay in private sectors.We have to reduce this public debt.

If only CORRUPTION and MONEY LAUNDERING were eradicated and all that money put back into systems and development....Kenya would be a world leader, hands down!

@Just me. No double.See Corruption is not only money. It encompasses employing incompetent staff.

Are you talking about your tribesmen? Stop preaching rubbish here while you openly support the bandit economy.

Kenya passport is uniform no matter where you live it is the same. Matiang'i usituletee ukora. It cost the same amount to make it. We pay the shipping cost out of our pockets

We will strike and not submit a dime in 6 Months..ndio utajua Diaspora pesa haimei kwa mti..we work for it..we shall renew upon traveling home..how will you know..

Who are "WE" @Romeo?You send money to your NYUKUA(MUM) and THOGUO(FATHER),the two most important people to me.I send to mine.Ongea yako sir.But for renewing,mwambi Matiang'i siihitaji tena.

We are the Kikuyus

Don't get this so called new fee structure. I paid $150 to renew mine through that non-performing DC consular office.

And a 4-8 weeks wait to back it up.....

#RESIST! We have the POWER people, we need to protest. This is a form of discrimination and we need to fight back.

The fee is only for Luo’s and any Nasarite. Kikuyu’s and Jubeleeans all exempt🤩. If you care please get my logic before you curse me out. All I am saying is Why do these tribes even fight? Kikuyu or Luo all fried with the same grill.

The trick is to renew in Kenya. Talk of discrimination at the highest level. This time it matters not whether you belong to Jubilee or NASA. Everyone! Make some noise. Or should we petition the government via Change.org?"

I think Mwakilishi is partly to blame for this hike.I say this with tongue in cheek.They have consistently published millions of dollars diaspora doles out to Kenya.Matiang'i has decided to get some of it as well.
Let Gave explain why the sudden nearly double increase.Since we are the ones who will pay,we should know the breakdown to the last penny.Then we will decide if the hike is warranted.We are not talking of special passports here embroidered in genuine gold leaf.

@imara n @maxiely the shitholes imf/world bank r the ones making noise juu we don’t borrow much from their higher interest loans anymore.They have bin inducing Africans countries to borrow from them but since we now borrow from Exim bank where interest is very low n to Europe or African development bank they keep yapping making stupid empty noises juu they wanted us to continue sacking their behinds like we us to do 10 yrs ago.Why did they the imf/world bank came out to talk shit few days when the Kenyan gava did the Eurobond???They wanted it to fail so we can go n beg them with their higher interest??But than God it traded 7times?Out of 100% Kenya is at 49.1% in borrowing which is sustainable compare that with USA which they have borrowed at 250% which they have surpassed n yet we keep yapping here without thinking.Kenya always pay for its debt on time while USA moved from AAA down to AA coz they r not paying their debt on time.We need to borrow for big developments like roads,railway,power generating,ports expansions,cheaper housing developments coz this will create jobs for many n in long time we will see good growth.Forgot to say Nigeria have borrowed upto 84%. South Africa upto 70% Tanzania 65%.So we need to even borrow more aslong as the development is happening but ikikuliwa then kunashinda.

Open injustice Matiangi!! Why we have to pay more than other Kenya diaspora to renewal our Kenya passports, and yet we hold same passports? Also that fee is so high. Kenya Diasporas not the one will pay off Kenya debt.

Angered Mkenya.

Asante ya pund ni mateke . Diaspora remittance has just been insulted . Let us stop sending money to Kenya after all who knows how safe your money is. Kenya debt ceiling is getting higher and higher

As @Kenya has stated, it's ridiculous and indeed unconstitutional for the government to charge different rates for the same passport depending on in which country or continent one resides. The government can charge different rates for ordinary vs diplomatic passports; as well as require those who live abroad to pay for mailing as it has always been. But the government to charge different amounts for those applying for passports at home vs elsewhere in Africa vs Britain vs EU countries vs Asia and Australia vs Canada and US (highest and almost double those in UK) is complete unconstitutional and unmitigated lunacy at worst. Well, every challenge provides an opportunity. This is a good opportunity for the so called Kenya Diaspora Alliance (KDA) to prove its worth by fighting for the Kenya Diaspora in Canada and US. If KDA is a credible diaspora organization and NOT a bogus organization comprised of loud mouths seeking cheep publicity, then let it file a case in the High Court to challenge this openly discriminative directive by CS Matiangi. If KDA won't take this challenge head on, I propose that any other diaspora organizations in the US and/or Canada come forward either individually or preferably in collaboration with several others to challenge this blatantly unconstitutional fee structure. Having said that, am glad that @ Mkenya Halisi has corrected narrow minded and misleading comments by @Imara and Maxiley. Anyone connecting passport fees to payment of national debt is completely missing the point. There are fewer than half a million Kenyans in the US and Canada. Even if they all renewed their passports every year (instead of every 10 yrs) the government would raise less than 50 million shillings each year; which could be less than 10-20 million excluding actual cost of the passports. This is less than the proverbial drop in the ocean!!! Thanks @Mkenya Halisi for pointing out that whatever IMF and other Western institutions say must always be taken with a grain of salt. Since bank interest rates were controlled, IMF and WB have repeatedly complained how that legislation has reduced economic. In the US, interest rates are controlled by Federal bank (equivalent to CBK) and over the last nearly 10 years interest rates in the US have been at historic lows; a tiny fraction of rates in Kenya. Yet, IMF and WB don't complain about that!! How come in Kenya IMF complains that borrowing goes down when interest rates are low; which is complete opposite of basic principles of supply and demand in economics? When the cost of borrowing goes down, more people would afford loans (demand goes up); not the other way round unless the bank's withhold funds in order to force the government to deregulate bank rates!!

Wao! You can write! What did you say again?.

we are being punished. have to pay for corruption in Kenya . let us stop sending our dollars rest they may also disappear

Hate or Love him . forget about his political preference - He is the most daring in telling the truth of what the ills afflicted to us by the corridors of the powerful. Daily nation has been compromised and kicked him out . Hope he can use other forums to tell us about why our economy is heading to the abyss

https://www.nation.co.ke/oped/opinion/Why-IMF-and-Central-Bank--debt-in…

@Kenjuu:

I agree with you entirely. How about the government charging the same amount of money for the lodging rooms, nationals parks, and other recreational areas for both citizens and non-citizens alike?