Immigration Introduces 24-Hour Work Shifts Over Passport Delays

The Immigration Department on Monday, August 28 moved to introduce new measures to deal with the backlog of passports affecting several Kenyans, including the introduction of 24-hour work shifts.

Acting Director General of the State Department of Immigration Evelyn Chelugut convened a staff meeting of employees at Nyayo House, a building put on the spot by Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kithure Kindiki who termed it as a crime scene.

Chelugut, while addressing the media, announced that going forward, the department would be taking punitive measures to weed out corrupt staff at the immigration department.

This was one of her warnings to all employees at the Directorate of Immigration who have been utilising corrupt means to aid Kenyans in securing passports.

She revealed that the department would begin working on 24-hour shifts to address the backlog, the day and night shifts seen as those that would help the department address the backlog of passports that stand at 58,000 and counting.

This arrangement will see work begin at 6 a.m. and end at 9 p.m. to be able to serve more Kenyans, and the shifts would run from Monday to Sunday.

Chelugut further announced that a few counters were set up to deal with emergency passport applications which would quickly cater for high-priority passport applications.

She urged employees of the department to double their efforts, as the Ministry works towards clearing the backlog of passport applications. 

The government will lease high-capacity passport printing machines from private investors to help process applications due to faulty machines.

While appearing before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Security on Thursday, August 24, Kindiki accused cartels at Nyayo House of delaying and sabotaging the efficient printing of passports.

"I have received credible intelligence that could suggest that part of our problems in the processing of our passport is corruption. We have a problem with immigration. I want to commit that I will provide leadership there; we will clean Nyayo House of corruption and all manner of crimes," Kindiki said.

He called out officers at the department who have been harassing Kenyans and soliciting bribes to be able to provide services that were meant to be for free, warning that this is one of the corruption scenarios at Nyayo House that have frustrated Kenyans, including young graduates who are looking for opportunities out of the country owing to the long delays.

Kindiki vowed to crack down on the trouble-making cartels at Nyayo House to streamline the effective processing and delivery of passports, adding that if need be, he would declare Nyayo House a crime scene.

"I have managed greater challenges in the last 10 months and I think some of the issues that were really running out of hand are now manageable. I will take the challenge which has been given to me. I will spend good time there physically to provide leadership that is required to clean up that Nyayo House," he said.

"If need be, we will seal off that place and declare it a scene of crime. You cannot have a public office where Kenyans queue all the way to Teleposta as early as 6 a.m. We will rid that place of all criminals including brokers who extort money."