The Kenyan government has announced ambitious plans to significantly increase the issuance of passports and digital National IDs, aiming to enhance accessibility and efficiency in registration services.
According to Immigration and Citizen Services PS Julius Bitok, the government targets to issue at least one million passports and three million digital National IDs this year.
This doubling of targets is part of a broader effort to streamline registration processes and improve revenue generation through the eCitizen digital platform.
Enhancing access to registration documents
PS Bitok emphasised that these new targets are realistic and achievable, supported by strategic improvements and investments in vital registration and documentation systems.
The government aims to raise the daily revenue collected on the eCitizen platform to Ksh1 billion, reflecting the growing demand for online services and the digitization of registration processes.
To meet the increased demand for passports, the government has invested in new passport printing machines, which are expected to significantly enhance printing capacity.
These machines, capable of printing 600 passports per hour, aim to reduce waiting times for passport issuance to less than 14 working days.
The government also targets a major boost in revenue from electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA), following the abolition of entry visas by President William Ruto earlier this year.
Decentralising access and improving efficiency
In addition to increasing capacity, the Directorate of Immigration plans to decentralize access to registration services by opening new offices in Nyeri, Bungoma, and Garissa.
Investments in government-owned passport and border management systems will provide real-time data on traveler movements, enhancing security and efficiency at border points.
The government also aims to issue 1.2 million digital National IDs to first-time applicants and 1.6 million duplicate IDs
. Plans include digitizing 46 million records on births and deaths held by the Civil Registration Services, as well as 2 million records under the National Registration Bureau's custody.
These efforts align with the government's commitment to digitization and modernization of registration systems.
Expediting refugee settlement and documentation
Under the Shirika Plan, the government will expedite the integrated settlement of nearly 700,000 refugees currently in the Kakuma and Daadab camps.
Additionally, plans are underway to document and register around 200,000 illegal immigrants and displaced foreigners believed to be in the country.
PS Bitok highlighted the department's compliance with the Data Protection Act, including extensive data protection impact assessments.
The department has also engaged in over 50 stakeholder forums and partnered with other government agencies on national initiatives such as tree planting and farmer registration for subsidized fertilizers and seedlings.