This archive report was first published on 20 April 2020.
Published on April 20, 2020, the Department of Immigration Services is working overtime to achieve its goal of same-day passport processing.
According to Alexander Muteshi, the director general of the department, the initiative is a presidential directive aimed at improving citizen services. The directive was announced by Interior CS Dr. Fred Matiang'i in January, who stated that issuance of passports and other crucial documents such as identity, birth, and death certificates would be done in one day.
However, applications originating from outside Nairobi and abroad will take a few days to process. The government has already started a pilot program to synchronize existing data, which will enable applicants to receive their documents within a day.
Muteshi expressed confidence that the department will meet its target of processing passports on the same day of application by July 1, 2020. He attributed the success of the initiative to the government's provision of necessary resources, including machinery and human resources.
“The same day service delivery to citizens is a presidential initiative that our CS, Dr. Fred Matiang'i, is keen to have all agencies under the Ministry of Interior and Co-ordination of National Government deliver on by July 1st, 2020,” said Muteshi.
He added that the department has already achieved 40 percent of the performance target in a pilot test and is currently processing passport replacements in a day.
