The government has extended the deadline date for acquiring the new e-passport to March 1, 2020.
In a press statement sent to media houses on Thursday evening (26.07.19), government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna said Kenyans can continue to travel with their old (navy blue) passports until the new set date for the deadline.
He also urged Kenyans to take advantage of the extension, and not wait for the last minute, to apply for the new passport as the exercise will continue countrywide.
“His excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta has today directed the Cabinet Secretaries for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb Monica Juma and Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National government, Dr Fred Matiang’ i to work with foreign missions across the world to facilitate the issuance of Visa’s to Kenyans on the current passports,” Oguna said.
The deadline was previously set for September 2019 but the mad rush to acquire the new e-passport and congestion at passport issuing centres informed the new decision to push the deadline to next year.
As reported by Capital News on the 12th of June 2019, the Immigration Department rolled out the issuance of e-passport in four new locations locally. Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’ i launched the first centre in Nakuru with other locations being Kisii, Eldoret and Embu, thereby distributing 1,500 daily new applicants across those offices.