Kithure Kindiki, Interior Cabinet Secretary, told parliament that the government would lease high-capacity passport printing machines from private investors. This move is to clear the backlog that has accumulated due to faulty machines.
The leasing arrangement according to Kindiki would mirror the medical equipment leasing arrangement that the Ministry of Health once had.
“Their capital cost is very high and we will have to rely on some private sector funding through leasing without compromising on security,” the CS mentioned.
Kindiki further mentioned to the MPs that the government would host documents and government data. The machines will be housed at the Government Printer and operated by State officials. Therefore, the machines will be managed by the government and maintained by them as well.
According to Kindiki, the private investors would only provide the equipment and the agreement would be limited to a lease-to-own arrangement.
“Private investors can recoup the investment over time. So we will ensure that we take care of our national security without again being unable to provide the service because the resources required to transform Kenya’s issuance of security documents to meet the world’s standards are huge,” Kindiki said.
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Kenyans have been complaining about the long waiting periods before the issuance of passports. Some have been waiting for more than eight months for them after the machines broke down in March. This breakdown caused a backlog of over 58,000 passports.
Prof Kindiki appeared before the National Assembly’s Committee on Regional Integration and told the MPs that the country’s passport printing machines were ‘archaic and belong in museums.’
Cause of Current Backlog
He further pointed out that the machines that print official documents, passports and IDs are dysfunctional and dilapidated. By this, he ensured that though the machines were being leased, the Government Printer would do all the work and not private owners.
“I agree with the need for leasing. We still have a backlog of passports… We are printing about sh 5,000 a day,” said Prof Kindiki.
Part of the reason the CS gave for the backlog was that the Department of Immigration is not allowed to spend its internally generated income. The department generates a lot of revenue for the National Treasury according to the CS but has no money to buy a printer.
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The CS aims to issue the passports within 21 days of application with the use of the current machines. This would significantly reduce to seven days according to the CS and eventually three days with the acquisition of the new machines.
After the government lifted restrictions placed to stop the spread of coronavirus in 2020, the number of passports processed and issued increased by 55.9 per cent in 2022.
The Acting Director General of the State Department of Immigration, Evelyn Chelugut announced the introduction of night and day shifts in the departments. This move is aimed at reducing the backlog of passport processing and would run from Monday to Sunday.
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