Prof. Kithure Kindiki, the interior cabinet secretary, has directed security organizations to make sure that nobody is permitted to loiter outside Nyayo House, which has been the subject of allegations of corruption and taking advantage of Kenyans looking for passports and other services.
The Interior CS announced on Friday during his second day of visits to Nyayo House that the government is working to simplify services at the Immigration department and warned idlers who loiter in the vicinity that they run the possibility of being arrested and prosecuted.
Kindiki warned that no one will be allowed to hang around the precincts of Nyayo House, and security officers will strictly enforce law and order, and apprehend any person soliciting bribes from applicants for passports and other citizenship documents.
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The CS's directive is the result of growing worries about a bribery ring that partners with immigration officers at Nyayo House to ask the public for money, particularly from people who are seeking passports.
According to reports, brokers linger nearby looking for bribes from Kenyans who want to skip lengthy lines and have services expedited at Nyayo House.
Prof. Kindiki revealed that emergency desks have been constructed as part of efforts to simplify services at Nyayo House to speed up the processing of passports for applicants with urgent demands, such as those
seeking medical treatment overseas, students going to educational institutions abroad, and people who have accepted job offers abroad and have reporting requirements.
In the interim, the CS has given the populace the assurance that the backlog in passport processing will be eliminated in the following two weeks.
The lengthy delays in passport issuing and processing were attributed to unscrupulous employees by Kindiki last week, who described Nyayo House as a crime scene.
The CS said there are personnel at Nyayo House receiving payments for services the government offers for free while testifying before the Regional Integration Committee in Parliament. He vowed to clean up the department once and for all.
