Gov't Contemplates Punishment for Kenyans Who Fail to Pick Printed Passports

The Kenyan government is considering punishment for citizens who have not yet collected their printed passports.

The Ministry intends to clear the backlog of uncollected documents at the immigration department. Interior CS Kithure Kindiki has warned that action will be taken to clear the backlog and a rapid results initiative will begin on Wednesday to make it mandatory for citizens to collect their passports within a specified time frame. According to the CS, the names and passport numbers of those who have not collected their travel documents will be published. Meanwhile, the immigration department seeks to send text messages and call citizens to remind them to collect their passports.

During an impromptu visit to the Embu immigration regional office on September 12, Kindiki blasted the inadequate state of facilities at the Embu immigration office where understaffing and dilapidated conditions make it difficult for immigration officers to work effectively. To improve efficiency, Kindiki suggests increasing staffing levels from 20 to 30, upgrading physical facilities and equipment and improving software.

"The Ministry will increase the number of staff from 20 to 30, and upgrade the existing physical facilities, equipment and software to increase efficiency. Some of my staff look tired and we must improve the working environment," Kindiki said.

He also stated that the ministry is committed to reducing service delivery time to seven days within the next two months. Regarding corruption, Kindiki announced that the ministry is taking steps to remove any staff members not involved in passport processing at the immigration offices and that those found colluding with brokers to defraud innocent Kenyans will be prosecuted.

"We will protect all our good officers who constitute about 99 per cent as we deal with the few who expose our country to terrorists and drug barons through corruption," he added.