Kithure Kindiki Admits There's Rampant Corruption At Nyayo House: "Crime Scene"

• Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki said intelligence showed that some officers at Nyayo House were deliberately causing delays in passport processing
• Kindiki assured the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Regional Integration that he would restore sanity at the immigration department
• He disclosed that even President William Ruto had received several complaints regarding the suffering Kenyans go through in getting new passports

Nairobi - Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has vowed to clean up Nyayo House to ensure seamless processing of passports.

Speaking before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Thursday, August 24, Kindiki admitted there was massive corruption at Nyayo House, where the Directorate of Immigration Services is hosted.

CS Kindiki to visit Nyayo House regularly

Kindiki regretted that some government officials had transformed Nyayo House into a centre for individuals preying on those seeking new passports.

"I have admitted that we have a problem in the Immigration Department. But I must say that there are also good officers who are serving patriotically,. There are others collecting bribes and harassing Kenyans," Kindiki said.

Kindiki disclosed that his office and that of President William Ruto had received reliable intelligence and complaints from Kenyans on how applicants are forced to give a bribe of as high as KSh 10,000 before their passports are processed.

"I have received a lot of complaints from Kenyans who are looking for passports. This is very unfortunate and cannot be allowed to continue unabated.

The president has also received several complaints even from his counterparts within the region and overseas, over deliberate attempts to delay passport processing," the CS stated.

The soft-spoken CS assured the committee that he would take charge of the issue to ensure all officers involved in the saga were held accountable.

According to Kindiki, he might be forced to declare Nyayo House a crime scene until he cleans it up.

"I have this week had a very candid discussion with the Principal Secretary, and I can assure you that I will clean this up. We will seal Nyayo House and declare it a crime scene because of corruption," he added.

What Kindiki said about government printer

On June 21, 2023, CS Kindiki announced that Kenyans applying for passports would receive them in 7 days.

By then, Kindiki said the 42,000 passport applications backlog would be cleared in three weeks after a faulty printer was fixed.

"To unlock the backlog within the Immigration department, I have directed that the 42,000 pending passport applications be processed within 21 hours. Thereafter, all applications must be processed within 7 days," Kindiki said, as reported by Citizen Digital.

The CS said that in an emergency for applicants seeking medical and educational services, such applications must be considered and processed within 24 hours.

He said the delays and the bulging backlog were occasioned by a printer that had broken down in the immigration office.

"I plead for patience from all those seeking services at the Immigration department. Within 7 days, the faulty printing equipment will be fixed. 60,000 booklets were delivered last Friday and will be used to deal with the backlog of 42,000 passport applications," he explained.