Kenyan digital content creator, Wilson Muchemi, has taken to social media to vent his frustrations over passport delays. Having waited for a year without any progress, Wilson wrote, “I will literally pay any amount of money to whoever can get my passport out by tomorrow morning.”
This outburst comes just weeks after the government announced it had resolved the backlog issue of passports. During a visit to Nyayo House, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki stated that the immigration department had received and commissioned two new machines capable of printing up to three hundred passports an hour. The Cabinet Secretary assured the public that starting May, it would take only 21 days to process all passport applications.
The prolonged wait for passports has continuously affected many Kenyans, leading to missed opportunities for foreign jobs, medical treatment, and other critical travel needs. In their desperation for expedited services, some have resorted to bribery.
