At least four men were arrested over claims of being brokers in the issuance of passports at Nyayo House, Nairobi.
Officials said the four had been demanding and soliciting bribes to facilitate passport applications. Police and immigration officials staged the operation following complaints from applicants the brokers demanded money to help in the issuance of the documents.
A brief given after the operation on August 25 said the objective was to arrest brokers who take advantage of members of the public and solicit bribes for otherwise free services.
“This has contributed to a public outcry and a perception of inefficiency and corruption in service delivery. Four suspected brokers were arrested at booked at Central Police Station.”
The suspects will face charges of preparation to commit a felony and conspiracy to defraud unsuspecting members of public.
Read: Kindiki Brands Nyayo House A Crime Scene, Vows to Clean Up Passport Backlog
Their mobile phones were confiscated for analysis and further probe, police said.
The Director General of Immigration Services Evelyn Cheluget Monday announced a raft of new measures to improve the processing of passports.
Cheluget said staff members will be increased at various desks and some officers will be deployed abroad.
Counters will also be set aside for emergency cases and day and night shifts shall be introduced from Monday to Sunday and applications will now be received from 7:00 am to 8:30 pm.
“If one has an emergency case of a passport he or she has to be attended to and get the document,” she said.
Read Also: Immigration Department Sets More Desks To Address Passport Delays
Addressing immigration officers at Nyayo House, Cheluget expressed optimism that the changes will bolster the processing and issuance of travel documents and effectively address the long-standing delays that have sparked agitation from the public.
Other measures include acquiring new booklets, repairing and purchasing new machines that will allow for 24/7 passport printing.
“We are working hard, the passport section has been working on shifts, we have dedicated counters for urgent cases and all regional heads to boost staff in the urgent counters,” said Chegulet.
Kenyans have also been advised to contact the Immigration department on the following telephone numbers:
This comes amid a backlog that has made Kenyans question why the Immigration Department takes long to process passports, a process that should take 10 to 15 days.
The department said between July 13 and August 2023, Nyayo House printed 96,310 passports.
Read Also: Mastermind Behind Theft of New-generation Passports Arrested
Out of these 53,750 were printed by personnel working the day shift, while the remaining 42,560 were processed during the night shifts.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki, vowed to clean up Nyayo House once and for all.
While appearing before Parliament on Thursday, Kindiki linked the delays to corruption and he will find a remedy to the malady.
“I will clean up Nyayo House once and for all. We will seal off Nyayo House and name it a scene of crime. How do Kenyans cue from 6 a.m.? It won’t be business as usual. We must clean up Nyayo house,” said Kindiki.
According to Kindiki, the passport backlog currently stands at 58,000, with the Department of Immigration and Citizen Services processing approximately 5,000 passports daily.
He also stated that plans are in the works to issue passports in seven days and will be reduced to three days, and even 24 hours in the event of an emergency.
Read Also: Gov’t Warns Kenyans Over Brokers Fleecing Passport Applicants
The situation has been worsened by the unilateral decision by immigration officials to terminate a contract with Postal Corporation of Kenya to distribute the printed passports.
Immigration had entered into agreement to distribute all printed passports as a way of dealing with crowds jamming to collect the documents.
The matter is now being arbitrated by the Public Service Commission after the immigration protested what they termed as slow pace in delivering the documents to the owners.
Kindiki said Kenyans must still wait 21 days for their cards to be issued, but that in the near future, ID cards will be replaced with a Digital Maisha number, which will translate to a Death Certificate number upon death.
There has been an outcry over the crisis of issuing passports at the Immigration. Officials blame the breakdown of a production machine for the crisis while others cite non payment by the government for the provision of the service for the situation.
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