Editorials

Issuing passports in days is within reach

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Interior Cabinet Secretary Prof Kithure Kindiki. FILE PHOTO | FRANCIS NDERITU | NMG

The government’s promise to issue new passports in seven days is a welcome relief for those travelling. It is important that Kithure Kindiki, the Interior Cabinet Secretary who made the promise, ensure the problem is sorted within that timeframe.

Many people have suffered due to the delays in issuing passports, an outcome more recently blamed on the breakdown of a printer.

Prof Kindiki said once the printer is repaired those who need to travel urgently will get them in 48 hours.

While it is good to note the progress in repairing the broken printer, a more permanent solution is required given the importance of international travel.

We need to have additional printers on standby to offer redundancy, effectively guaranteeing uninterrupted issuance of passports.

This is a cost that the government can afford. The current situation is guaranteed to repeat itself once one of the printers breaks down again.

For more than two months, the machine which produces the 34, 50 and 66-page travel documents has been out of use. The government has been relying on a small printer. The two-printer situation must change.