Prof Kithure Kindiki, the Interior Cabinet Secretary, has vowed to crack down on and clean up the Nyayo house, blaming corrupt personnel for the unending delays in passport processing.

While testifying before the Regional Integration Committee at the Parliament Buildings, the CS revealed that some personnel at Nyayo House receive bribes for services the government provides for free. He determined to clean up Nyayo's residence finally.

PHOTO | COURTESY interior CS Prof Kithure Kindiki

"I will clean up Nyayo house once and for all," CS Kithure promised the committee, adding, "We will seal off Nyayo house and name it a crime scene." How do Kenyans start their day at 6 a.m.? It's not going to be business as usual. "We need to clean Nyayo's house." 

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According to the CS, some of Kenya's current issues, such as insecurity and terrorism, may be linked to Nyayo House's corruption.

"If you go to Wajir, 21-year-olds have been waiting for IDs for three years," he added.

PHOTO | COURTESY passport

According to the CS, the current passport backlog is at 58,000, with the Department of Immigration and Citizen Services processing around 5,000 passports per day.

He claimed that preparations are in the works to issue passports in 7 days and that the issuance period will be decreased to 3 days in the future and 24 hours in the event of an emergency.

PHOTO | COURTESY interior CS Kithure Kindiki

Regarding identity cards, CS Kithure noted that Kenyans must still wait 21 days for their cards to be granted but that ID cards will be replaced in the near future with a Digital Maisha number, which will translate to a Death Certificate number upon death.