The Government of Kenya, through Immigration and Citizen Services PS Julius Bitok, has informed Kenyan applicants seeking a 34-page passport, that they may need to upgrade to a higher page count.
Bitok disclosed that the state has acquired an additional 112,700 passport printing books. He specified that out of these, 92,400 were 50-page passports, while the remaining 20,300 were 66-page books.
He said a shortage of 34-page booklets as the consignment hadn’t arrived in Kenya yet. To expedite the passport processing backlog, he encouraged Kenyans to opt for the 50-page passports.
“The issuance of passports will be prioritized on a first-in-first-out basis. Applicants with pending 34-page passports who have an urgent need to travel are advised to upgrade their applications to the 50-page booklet through the eCitizen portal. No physical visit to Immigration offices is necessary to apply for the upgrade,” he said.
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In light of this, Kenyan applicants seeking a faster passport process were advised to first track their application status. They can do so by sending an SMS with their eCitizen reference code to 22222.
Julius Bitok urged them to pay an additional Sh. 2,000 for the 50-page passports if their passports are still unprocessed. This aligns with the new Ministry prices for passport applications.
A 34-page passport will cost Sh. 7,500, while a 50-page passport will cost Sh. 9,500. Kenyans will pay Sh. 12,500 for the 66-page passport. This is according to the directive issued by Interior CS Kithure Kindiki.