Members of Parliament oppose State move to close down regional immigration offices

A section of MPs have criticised the Government’s move to stop issuing passports in a number of offices in the country.

They described the directive by the new Immigration director, Maj Gen (Rtd) Gordon Kihalangwa, as going against the spirit of devolution.

Under the new policy, issuing passports in Embu, Nakuru, Garissa, and Eldoret has been halted and those applying for them will have to travel to Nairobi.

Offices in Mombasa and Kisumu are also set to be shut down by end of the year in what is being billed as an effort to prevent issuing the travel document to non-Kenyans and boost security in the country.

Kisumu Town East MP Shakeel Shabbir said it was a big mistake to ask Kenyans to travel to Nairobi to apply for passports, saying this could be done in regional offices in line with the principles of taking services closer to the people.

He said the actual issuing of passports could be centralised in Nairobi but the application and collection should be done in satellite stations.

 BLATANT DISCRIMINATION

“There is no problem centralising the actual issuing of passports but Kenyans don’t have to be subjected to long and expensive journeys to Nairobi to apply for them. Regional offices should be allowed to handle the application process. We should not take devolution backwards,” he said.

Mbeere North MP Muriuki Njagagua said he supported the closure of offices in Embu County if it helped prevent non-Kenyans from acquiring passports fraudulently or boost security nationwide.

“I don’t mind the people of Embu travelling to Nairobi for the document if that helps to increase the country’s security. We appreciate the need to take services closer to the people but not at the expense of security. It is a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils,” he said.

Mandera Senator Billow Kerrow said the decision by the Government to shut down the passport issuing office in Garissa as reported was unacceptable and tantamount to blatant discrimination of the people of North Eastern region who “already feel alienated”.

He said it would be intolerable to expect residents to make the torturous journey to Nairobi to apply or renew their passports.

“I fully support the actions of my colleagues in seeking to reverse this regressive action. It is obvious that this action will not in any way limit corruption in the department; indeed, there is more corruption in the Nairobi office. Security can be tightened without shutting down the offices,” he said.

Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri said subjecting Kenyans to huge expenses and long distances in search of passports was unfair and unacceptable. He promised to take up in the matter in Parliament.