Barely hours after the State Department announced a system failure affecting the normal passport application receiving and collection services, the government has announced plans to issue 49,500 passports within a span of 14 days, starting from May 10, 2024.

This initiative, spearheaded by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki, aims to address a 724,000-passport backlog, providing relief to countless applicants who are awaiting their travel documents.

According to Kindiki, the Ministry has faced criticism for the sluggish issuance of passports in the past. He stated, “We want the passports delivered and collected in 14 days.”

Of the 49,500 passports slated for issuance, a significant portion will cater to residents in various regions across the country. Nairobi County leads with 27,000 passports, followed by Embu with 4,500, Nakuru with 4,200, and Mombasa, Eldoret, Kisumu, Kisii, and Kericho each receiving allocations ranging from 3,000 to 400 passports.

The announcement comes on the heels of a temporary halt in passport application and collection services earlier on Tuesday morning. The State Department cited a system failure as the cause, assuring the public that efforts were underway to rectify the issue promptly.

“We regret to inform our clients that we are currently experiencing a downtime that has affected our normal passport application receiving and collection services,” a statement from the State Department read in part.

In addition to addressing the immediate backlog, the government has set ambitious targets for passport and digital identity card issuance. With the acquisition of two new passport printing machines in April, the government aims to issue at least one million passports and three million digital national identity cards by the end of 2024.