Address passport printer maintenance problem

The Sh70 million allocation to the State Department of Immigration and Citizen Services for new passport printers in the 2023/24 budget falls far short of the Sh200 million that it had asked for.

But it at least suggests an understanding of the crisis of the applications backlog that continues to make many Kenyans miss out on opportunities to travel outside the country and some commitment to address it.

As the population grows, the demand for the travel document by Kenyans going to study, work or do business abroad can only increase.

The applications backlog is not down to the lack of modern passport printing machines alone though.

The frequent reports of the old machines breaking down suggest there are issues with basic operations at the department, including poor maintenance.

Even with the few new machines the department is set to buy in light of the budget shortfall, it should still be able to improve its services considerably with proper and regular maintenance of the faulty machines.

If routine maintenance is neglected, even the modern machines will sooner or later break down.