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Mwaura noted that there was a backlog of over 681,000 Kenyans waiting to get their passports.
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He said a similar number has also been waiting for their IDs to be processed.
Image: FILE
Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura has announced that the government targets to process and issue up to 1 million passports to Kenyans this year.
Mwaura said the government has an ambitious plan to also issue out 3 million digital IDs to Kenyans within the same period.
"The government will double the number of passports it targets to issue this year to at least 1 million while giving 3 million national digital IDs during the same period," Mwaura said.
He said the new targets are part of an ambitious drive to make it easier for Kenyans to access registration documents.
Mwaura noted that there was a backlog of over 681,000 Kenyans waiting to get their passports.
He said a similar number has also been waiting for their IDs to be processed.
"If we have that target of 1 million and 3 million we will be able to sort out that backlog," he said.
Additionally, Mwaura said the government also targets to raise the revenue it collects from the eCitizen digital platform to an average of Sh1 billion per day by the end of the year.
"...This is because when we can get this money, the efficiency then removes corruption and gridlocks and it ensures that you don't need to have fast track because of efficiency," he said.
Mwaura said the government believes the targets are realistic and that they will bear fruits.
Further, Mwaura said the government also targets to boost the revenue collected through the issuance of ETAs which replaced entry Visas to the country.
He said the government hopes for at least 5 million visitors in the medium term.
In new changes starting in May, all Kenyans seeking to get National Identity cards including those in marginalised areas will not undergo the vetting process.
President William Ruto announced that he will soon issue a policy document that will provide ways for how people irrespective of the region they come from can get IDs.
“Starting Next month (May 2024) there will be no vetting for Kenyans who want to get ID cards,” he said.
“I’m going to be issuing a policy document to make sure that we have a mechanism that is similar to other Kenyans so that we don’t discriminate based on religion or region," Ruto said.
Over the weekend, members of the Muslim community in Kiambu expressed concern over alleged discrimination by the government during the issuance of identification cards.
They decried that Immigration officers subject them to discriminating and unfair vetting processes to ascertain their nationality before they are issued with the crucial cards.
Vetting became a requirement for issuing ID and birth certificates in Northern Kenya following the Shifta insurgency of the 1960s, which the Northern Kenya communities viewed as ethnic profiling and discrimination.