Kenya Issues Over 500,000 Passports as Service Delivery Reforms Gain Pace » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 22 – The government has announced major progress in the issuance of travel documents, disclosing that 514,152 passports have been issued over the past three years.

According to the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services, reforms have also cut the backlog of uncollected passports from 90,000 to 56,000 in just three months, underscoring ongoing efforts to streamline service delivery.

The update was delivered after the 12th meeting of the Governance and Public Administration (GPA) Subcommittee of the National Development Implementation Committee (NDIC) held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).

The session was chaired by Internal Security and National Administration Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo and co-chaired by Parliamentary Affairs PS Aurelia Rono.

“As the Kenya Kwanza administration approaches its third year in office, efforts are being intensified to accelerate the implementation of key government priorities and reforms in governance and public administration,” NDIC said in a statement.

Omollo described the meeting as an opportunity for self-assessment and reaffirmation of the administration’s commitment to efficient service delivery.

Digital identity rollout

The State Department also reported significant progress in the rollout of the Unique Personal Identifier (Maisha Number), with more than 90,000 numbers issued across Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos, and Kajiado counties.

The Maisha Number is intended to serve as a lifelong digital identity by integrating multiple personal identifiers—including birth certificates, national ID, KRA PIN, and Social Health Authority number—into a single record.

At the same time, more than 22,000 government services have been digitized and placed on the e-Citizen platform, while 48 agencies have been connected to the Maisha Integrated Database.

The GPA Subcommittee stressed that the reforms are part of the wider government agenda to improve transparency, accountability, and efficiency across public service. It further noted that digitization will continue to ease access to essential services for Kenyans both at home and abroad.