According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), passport issuance in Kenya dropped by 5.2 percent in 2023 due to printing machine breakdowns that impacted production.

The latest KNBS reports show that 404,028 passports were issued in 2023, down from 383,018 in 2022.

The Immigration Department has struggled with frequent breakdowns of printing machines and a shortage of printing booklets, causing a backlog of much-sought-after travel documents.

In June last year, the Department disclosed significant disruptions in the printing process due to malfunctioning printers, which severely affected the department’s ability to produce passports.

Addressing the issue, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki announced repairing the broken passport printer, a major cause of delays in issuing new Kenyan passports for close to a year.

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“The broken passport printer is now repaired. Further, we are in the process of acquiring a new printer,” he said.

The repair is expected to streamline the process and reduce the waiting time for applicants.

To further alleviate the backlog, the Immigration Department said it had received 50,000 34-page booklets.

An additional 200,000 would later be received, with the immigration department saying it was expecting more booklets within six months.

This supply is anticipated to enhance the department’s capacity to meet the demand for passports and effectively address the backlog.