The Immigration Department has announced that it will remain open on Saturday, May 11, to allow Kenyans to collect their passports.

In a statement on Thursday, the department notified Kenyans who have already received notifications that the Nairobi office will be open from 9am to 1pm.

“To expedite the collection of passports, our Nairobi office will be open from 9 am to 1 pm on Saturday, 11 May 2024. Applicants who applied for passports in Nairobi and have received notifications to collect their passports are encouraged to take advantage of the extended service,” the notice read.

The announcement comes days after Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki announced that the Government has put in place measures for the expedition of the collection of the final batch of 45,000 passports which are now ready.

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According to the CS, the batch constitute the last batch of the over 700,000 passports whose production was delayed.

“We are in the process of transforming the service delivery in relation to the issuance of Kenyan passports as well as creating efficiency in the delivery of critical Citizen Services.” He said.

The government had earlier announced that the process of acquiring a passport would be 21 days from the date of application.

This is after it acquired new passport printing machines to ensure a smoother and faster passport issuance process.

On previous occasions, the state has attributed the delays to the use of an old printer and a shortage of printing booklets.

The delays have seen some people miss out on job opportunities while others have been unable to access necessary medical care.