Kenyans have been called upon to collect 58, 330 passports that are yet to be picked at various Immigration offices across the country.
Immigration PS Julius Bitok on Tuesday announced that the uncollected booklets were taking up spaces in the office.
"We urge applicants who have already been notified that their passports are ready to collect them as soon as possible to free up storage space," he said in a statement.
Nairobi leads with the highest number of uncollected passports at 24,613, followed by Embu county with 9,584
Kisumu county has 6,087 uncollected passports while Mombasa had 5,759, Eldoret (4,538), Nakuru (4,466) and Kisii with 3,283.
PS Bitok noted that the Directorate of Immigration Services has intensified its operations to process and print passports and to clear the backlog of applications that has been occasioned by a surge in demand.
He added that applications are being processed on first-in-first-out basis subject to the availability of specific booklets determined by the number of pages paid for by each applicant.
Last month, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki took fault for the delayed progress in passport issuance.
Kindiki acknowledged the pain and frustration experienced by many Kenyans seeking passports for various reasons, resulting in lost employment opportunities and restricted travel for medical care, education, business, or leisure.
"The prevailing state of affairs is inexcusable, considering that it is the right of every Kenyan to acquire citizenship documents, including travel documents. As the Cabinet Secretary overseeing passport issuance, I take responsibility for the slow pace of reforms and the prevailing systemic inefficiencies," he said.
The CS highlighted that it has been years of insufficient investment in production infrastructure, accumulating supplier debts, and corrupt practices that have hindered the government's transformation program for the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services.
However, Kindiki committed to conclusively resolving the challenges surrounding passport issuance, aiming to create efficiency and timely service delivery in the shortest time possible.
The CS said the government is looking for funds to pay outstanding debts.
This, he, said will help to ease passport processing and create efficiency at Nyayo House.
"The government undertakes to conclusively resolve this matter and create efficiency and timely service delivery in the shortest time possible," he said.
"Arrangements have been made to secure the required funds and settle the outstanding supplier debts," Kindiki added.
