The Rot Within: Corruption and Kenya’s Immigration Department

By Samuel Ouma

The Kenya’s Immigration Department is the latest government agency facing graft allegations besides Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) and the Kenya Power.

Mandated to issue passports and other travel documents, regulate entry and exit from the country, manage foreign nationals, and register Kenyan citizens, corruption has been detected in the department.

In June 2023, the Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ) locally known as the Ombudsman, issued a devastating report revealing malpractices in passport issuing. According to the report presented by CAJ Chairperson Florence Kajuju, Kenyans are overcharged for passports.

It also revealed instances of documents being misplaced, documents being sent with less pages than requested, and bribery.

The CAJ launched investigations into the matter following complaints from a section of Kenyans on social media. Some passport applicants claimed that they were compelled to pay Kshh6,050 ($42) for a 'B' series passport (50 pages) while applying online, only to be issued with 'A' series passports (34 pages), which cost Ksh4550 ($32).

However, when the complainants raise concerns, they are met with opposition from the officers working within the department. As a result, they are not refunded the extra amount they paid.

The commission linked the lack of payment of the excess money to the complainants to a lack of internal policy or a procedure guiding and regulating issues that may arise during passport processing, such as cancellation of applications, giving immigration officials a chance to deal with such problems indiscriminately.

"Investigations revealed that the Department of Immigration does not have a mechanism in place to automatically refund excess payment caused by the issuance of passports with fewer pages than requested. Refunds for complainants are likely to be delayed because the Department of Immigration relies on funds released by the National Treasury to process such refunds," said CAJ vice chair Washington Sati.

According to CAJ chair Florence Kajuju, the manual refund method was found to be bureaucratic and time-consuming because the platform cannot combine several payments made by an applicant at various periods into a single invoice.

Furthermore, applicants whose documents went missing suffer the wrath of the employees, even if the fault is not theirs. For example, one applicant stated that he was obliged to reapply for her lost passport after the department's workers misplaced his documentation. Surprisingly, she was given the passport she had requested, but with only a few pages.

Some Kenyans revealed on Twitter that they had to pay immigration officers for their passports to be processed fast. They said the immigration officers claimed their equipment was broken. Still, if you spend a little sum in bribes, the equipment starts working again.

“Unless you Bribe for services the Printers won’t be functional,” said Kelvin Kangethe.

In other instances, bribes were paid, but the promised passports were not delivered, forcing the applicants to wait longer. Some people allegedly said they had been waiting for over a year.

“I lost my passport in 2019 and paid Ksh12000 ($84) to replace it, but I have yet to get it. I was told the last time I enquired that the government had ceased the issuance of passports,” said a complaint who identified himself as PS of Promise.

Many Kenyans who cannot afford to pay bribes for the services that are supposed to be provided for free have been unable to obtain passports due to the department's flagrant corruption, missing out on chances overseas.

"The issue of Passports is very serious. We even have people who have not been able to get their passports for now 3 years. The Media needs to just walk to the department and interview some of the applicants on the lines. Many have missed life-changing opportunities cause of it," said Bravin Yuri.

"A close friend of mine applied for her passport three months ago, and later she got a job offer in Dubai, so I tried using a contact inside the department who charged me Ksh10 ($70) and promised to have the passport ready in two weeks, but it's now three weeks and phone calls go unanswered," Steve Tajiri continued.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki attributed delays in processing passports to the massive corruption. As of August 24, 2023, the backlog stood at 58,000, with the department blaming a faulty printer. However, the department's corrupt employees should be held liable.

"There are good officers serving the country patriotically, but there are others collecting bribes and harassing Kenyans to obtain services that they should be receiving for free," said CS Kithure Kindiki.

Kindiki had declared the department based at Nyayo House in Nairobi Central Business District a crime scene, vowing to crack a whip on corrupt individuals.

"We will seal off Nyayo house & name it a scene of crime. How do Kenyans cue from 6AM? It won’t be business as usual," reiterated Kindiki.

He went on to say that corruption at Nyayo House is to blame for some of Kenya's current challenges, like insecurity and terrorism.

Kindiki said the government will lease high-capacity passport production machines from private investors to reduce the backlog.

He justified the action, claiming that the department's machines are outdated and need replacing them.

Kindiki said that the government couldn't afford the machines when asked by the parliamentarians why it chose to lease the printing equipment, prompting outrage from the public.

"The leasing will create an opportunity for tenderpreneurs to fleece the coffers. I thought the Finance Act 2023 which has taken effect and the current budget had factored in the buying of modern printing machines," said Axel Yoh.

"This delay was stage-managed. Who was the prior printers' supplier? Can't they provide cutting-edge printers for the twenty-first century? Grace Mumbi inquired.

Mogere Julius added, “So private investors now have the ability to print passports? How? I dont get it at all!! what is the investor doing with the printer for passports, a role that only government can do?? We know the private investor himself.”

Other measures established to expedite passport issues include longer working hours with double shifts both day and night, the establishment of special emergency desks, and the repair of broken-down machinery.

“The machines are now operational 24/7 after repairs allowing for daily processing. In addition, specific counters have been designated for emergency cases for individuals seeking to travel urgently," said the Director-General of Immigration Evelyn Cheluget.

On the other hand, Kenyans want the department's employees replaced and the culprits prosecuted with corruption in a court of law. This demand will not be met because corruption is celebrated in the East African country.