The Department of Immigration domiciled in the Ministry of Interior and National Administration is under sharp focus relating to claims of inefficiency in service delivery to citizens, especially those seeking passports.
Kenyans applying for passports to enable them travel abroad for various reasons are expressing disappointment over the slow pace of processing of the vital travel document, corruption intertwined with bribery claims and an inefficient online service, the E-citizen.
Many Kenyans make numerous visits to Nyayo House to check the status of their passport applications, only to find them unprocessed with officials attributing it to long queues.
“I applied for my passport in February to enable me travel to Dubai for business but am told it’s not ready yet I was expected there early June.” Adan, one of the hundreds of youth applicants frequenting Nyayo House, told The Informer.
An independent investigation confirmed there were several malpractices and injustices in the whole process of issuance of passports at the Department of Immigration.
Delayed approval of the procurement of blank booklets and regular breakdown of passport printing machines are among the reasons behind the huge backlog in issuance of passports at Nyayo House.
Several visits to Immigration Department occasioned by complaints from disgruntled passport seekers confirmed that they were being overcharged for the service.
In regard to the mess at Nyayo House, especially bribery claims, some civil society organizations have taken Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to task by asking it to launch a thorough probe and ensure officials implicated in the vice are charged.
“There are those being asked for bribes as high as Sh20,000 by officials at Nyayo House to get their passports fast-tracked, yet they are claiming that the printers cannot work.” Fred Ogola, a civil rights crusader, said.
Simultaneously, they called upon Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki to provide an explanation regarding allegations of certain employees at Nyayo House demanding bribes to expedite passport processing. These allegations stood in contrast to the statement provided by the Immigration department, which claimed that the delay was due to a printer malfunction.
