Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki visited the Immigration headquarters Thursday evening as the government continues to crack down on Nyayo House cartels and passport brokers.
“The crackdown on cartels extorting applicants of passports and other vital citizenship documents at the immigration department is on, and all those involved in the criminal acts will be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law,” CS Kindiki said.
The minister also issued a directive barring boda boda riders and people who idle around Nyayo House from the vicinity of the Immigration’s headquarters.
“No person will be allowed to hang around Nyayo House, and being a facility processing vital security documents, access will only be granted to applicants with the necessary documents and staff members,” Kindiki said.
The CS also announced that special desks have been established to expedite all emergency applications.
“To facilitate an orderly, timeous, and responsive processing of passports and other citizenship documents, special desks have been established to fast track all emergency applications, including those of persons seeking medical care, academic opportunities and job openings that have clear deadlines and have presented the necessary supporting documents.
“No applicant should give any money to facilitate faster processing and issuance of passports.” Kindiki said.
Prof. Kindiki explained that his visit aimed to motivate the staff to maintain their diligence while cautioning officers who have tarnished the department’s reputation by transforming it into a haven for criminals.
“A majority of the officers in the Immigration department are professional, dedicated, and patriotic. They deserve to be commended and facilitated to undertake their duties diligently. The few officers who are colluding with brokers to demand bribes from applicants of passports and other vital documents will be dealt with firmly,” Kindiki stated.
He mentioned that additional intelligence has been gathered regarding the bribery scheme within the Immigration Department. He said further arrests of individuals implicated in the scheme will be carried out soon.
“Gone are the days when some Sh2,000, Sh5,000 or Sh10,000 issued illegally will be the basis of persons being given priority in this building. We will ensure this place is cleaned of the few corrupt individuals spoiling the name of many dedicated security and Immigration officers working here,” he said.
The Interior CS also announced the National Treasury has allocated a budget of Sh1.3 billion to the Immigration Department, aimed at facilitating the enhancement of its equipment.
“The Immigration department will receive up to Ksh.1.3B in appropriation in aid beginning the financial year 2023/2024 to enable the acquisition of new equipment, including printers, and revamp the department’s infrastructure to offer better services to citizens across the country,” Kindiki said.
The CS at the same time said the backlog of 44,000 passport applications will be resolved within 14 days and all subsequent applications will be processed expeditiously.
