Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary Julius Bitok has announced that the government intends to print at least one million passports in 2024 following the arrival of two new printing machines at Nyayo House.

Speaking in Mombasa on Friday, April 12, 2024, PS Bitok revealed that the machines are expected to print 600 passports per hour. This he says will bring the waiting time for passports to under 14 days.

“We will be commissioning the new printers next week. We are determined to render delays in the issuance of passports a thing of the past as we have secured the necessary resources to procure sufficient booklets and other recurrent expenses,” he said.

The government issued 533,000 passports in 2023, with the introduction of the new machines, the Bitok expects the number to double this year.

The immigration PS further revealed that the government plans to issue 3 million ID cards by December 2024. This will comprise 1.2 million digital IDs for first time applicants, 1.6 million duplicate IDs, and 733,000 Maisha cards.

Bitok affirmed that effective May 1, 2024, the govt will cease vetting of persons from marginalised communities applying for IDs as ordered by President William Ruto.

He also announced that the government is looking to increase services offered on e-Citizen from 16,000 to over 20,000. This will most likely guarantee at least one million users on the platform per day.

PS Bitok noted that with an increment in usage, the platform may reach a target ksh1 billion revenue per day.

“We are continuously innovating and improving the user experience on eCitizen. We want as many clients as possible to enjoy the convenience that it provides so that we can also hit our targets of generating revenue for the government,” said the PS.

“We believe these are realistic targets based on the strategic improvements and investments that we have made to our vital personal registration and documentation systems.”