Over 23,000 passports have been collected since the ministry of interior launched a rapid result initiative meant to hasten the issuance of the essential document.
A total of 22,353 passports have been successfully collected with some 15, 354 passports set to be ready for collection at immigration offices as of Friday this week.
The Immigration office on Monday reported the number of unclaimed passports had been reduced to 65,221 from 87,574.
The distribution of collected passports across various centers is as follows:
Nairobi: 9,331 passports
Mombasa: 3,754 passports
Nakuru: 1,528 passports
Embu: 2,426 passports
Eldoret: 2,297 passports
Kisumu: 1,763 passports
Kisii: 1,254 passports
The RRI programme was initiated by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki to address the historical backlog in the issuance of passports.
As part of the RRI initiative, the Immigration Department publishes a weekly list of applicants whose passports are due for collection every Wednesday, facilitating a streamlined and efficient collection process.
Kindiki had issued a warning that passports left uncollected after their stipulated collection period would be disposed off with owners facing penalties in accordance with the law.
The RRI program is set to run for at least 30 days with the government committing to enhance efficiency, reducing processing times, and improving transparency in passport issuance.
