Interior and National Coordination Cabinet Secretary nominee Kithure Kindiki targets to issue 10 million new East African Community (EAC) biometric passports in five years, Parliament heard Tuesday.
Prof Kindiki said issuance of passports is one sector where the government targets to generate revenue.
Immigration Director General Alexander Muteshi last week disclosed that about 1.6 Kenyans out of the 3.5 million passport holders have acquired the new East African Community (EAC) biometric e-passport two weeks before the deadline for phasing out the old generation documents.
Prof Kindiki told MPs that the Immigration department will also increase the passports submission centres from the current seven to cover all 47 counties in the next five years.
“We should move to 10 million passport holders from the current 3.5 million in five years. For Kenyans living abroad, we will ensure we increase passport submission centres from the current six foreign missions in London, Washington DC, Berlin, Pretoria, Dubai and Paris to about 25 in the next five years,” he told MPs.
Prof Kindiki who appeared before the National Assembly’s Committee on Appointments for vetting, however, ruled out decentralisation printing passports.
“Just like the printing of currency, passport printing must remain centralised to guard against cases of forgery,” he said.
Committee chairman Moses Wetangula had sought to know measures that the nominee will put in place to protect the integrity of the Kenyan passport.
