The Immigration Department has announced that its offices in Nairobi will remain open on Saturday, May 18 from 9 am to 1 pm.

In a notice seen by TV47 Digital, the decision was made to expedite the collection of passports.

The department is urging Kenyans who have received notifications about their passports to take advantage of the extended period and collect them.

“Applicants who applied for passports in Nairobi and have received notification to collect their passports are encouraged to take the advantage of the extended service,” the department says.

Passports in 3 days

Earlier this week, Parliament recommended to the department to adjust their systems such that Kenyans applying for passports receive the travel document within three days of submitting their application.

Through the National Assembly’s Committee on National Administration and Internal Security, MPs further urged the government to open more Immigration offices across the country to make it easier to acquire passports.

The MPs said currently, many applicants are forced to make long and costly distances to access Nyayo House, Nairobi, or any of the eight regional Immigration offices.

“With adequate resourcing, targeting a maximum of three days for applicants to be issued with passports is realistic…This should be feasible, especially with the opening of more offices in other parts of the country,” said Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo, who is the chair of the committee.

During the sitting, Immigration PS Julius Bitok told the MPs that the Department had successfully cleared the backlog of around 700,000 passports and invested heavily in equipment and technology using funds obtained as Appropriation-in-Aid from Immigration and other services.

“With Parliament’s support, we have dealt with the issue of passport backlog and instituted important reforms, including creating two banking halls, buying two printers, and increasing personnel,” he said.