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Immigration downscales passport issuance amid fresh Covid-19 surge


The Directorate of Immigration announced on Friday that it will scale down its operations owing to the fresh upsurge of Covid-19 positive cases from Monday.

Immigration informed applicants who had made appointments for submissions and biometrics capture that they will receive SMS notifications informing them to revise them.

“In light of the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in the country, the Directorate of Immigration Services wishes to notify the general public of the scaling down in our passport processing offices. This is to ensure the safety of both our customers and staff,” it said in a statement.

Immigration regretted any inconvenience caused urging those who have urgent travel to call their hotline number 110922065 for assistance.

An applicant with an urgent need to travel will be required to provide documentary evidence to assist them get their passports processed faster.

Last year, a directive by President Uhuru Kenyatta owing to the upsurge in Covid-19 positive cases also forced the department to scale down its operations.

The Kenyatta directive on the measures to contain Coronavirus was directed to all government departments.

On Thursday, Kenya recorded 1,225 people who tested positive for the disease, out of a sample size of 7,308, with total confirmed positive cases increasing to 117,535.