NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 2 – Travelers will have to wait longer to access their passports amid shortage caused by printer problem
Some of the applicants who spoke to Capital Business said they are yet to get their passports even after applying sometimes back.
The challenge has forced many travelling for leisure, business, medical, among others, to cut short or postpone their trips indefinitely.
One of the applicants who was applying for a study in Australia said that he is yet to get his passport and yet the school is requesting it.
He urges the Department of Immigration to expedite the process, which he said was impacting thousands of them.
Kenya launched the e-passport system in September 2017 in compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) document 9303 and the East African Community Summit resolution.
In November 2021, the EAC Council of ministers in a meeting held in Arusha agreed to do away with the old-generation passports for all member states by November 2022.
The new e-passport contains the holder’s biodata and aims to enhance efficiency and do away with any security loopholes.
It will enable the EAC member states including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to enter and exit the member countries freely.