The government has announced plans of opening an Immigration office targeting the issuance of passports and other related services in Kericho County in January 2024.
Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said the national government had agreed with the devolved unit’s leadership to begin work immediately and ensure the premises are up and running by January 1, 2024.
Bitok stated that the move will allow residents of Kericho and the surrounding South Rift region to access immigration services without having to travel to other counties such as Kisumu or Kisii.
“I’m ready to announce to the public that we’re ready to open an immigration office in Kericho. We have looked at the space available and we believe it is sufficient, we have looked at the timelines and agreed with the leadership that work will begin immediately towards creating this office. By January 1, 2024, the office of immigration in Kericho will be operational,” he said.
The PS also noted that the delays which have been witnessed in recent times in the issuance of passports was occasioned by lack of sufficient number of booklets for printing.
He stated that the problem was caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which he said affected and led to the closure of many companies that manufacture passport booklets, thereby creating a global shortage.
He however assured the public that the government had since ordered over 600,000 booklets which are on the way, adding that by next year citizens will be able to receive their passports within 7 days after application.
“I want to confirm that there has been a challenge over the last few months on issuance of passports, and the problem has been occasioned by lack of sufficient number of booklets for printing, and why we have that problem is because of Covid-19,” stated Bitok.
“During Covid-19, many companies that manufacture booklets closed down because there was no travel, and that created an international crisis. But I want to assure the country that we have done everything we can to ensure that we have the booklets in place, and right now we have ordered for 600,000 booklets which are coming in a few weeks.”
