The Government has extended the deadline for application of the new e-passport to March 1, 2020.
Confirming this, the Government spokesman Cyrus Oguna yesterday said that President Kenyatta had ordered the deadline to be pushed to 2020 from the earlier given dates of August 31.
The Government had requested its citizens both in and outside the country, to ensure they cooperate before the deadline. This saw the respective offices experience long queues.
“The directive has in effect, extended the deadline for travel using the old passport to March 1, 2020” read the statement.
Besides, Mr Oguna stated that the President had instructed the Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma and the Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang’I to ensure they work with the foreign missions in facilitating the passport issuance to all Kenyans across the world.
The new e-passport has vital features set to enhance security with its electronic chip addressing issues related to fraud, theft of user identity, skimming and forgery.
Since its launch on August 31, 2018, it is estimated that one million Kenyans have managed to apply for the new passport. With the new directive, the remaining 1.5 million Kenyans using the old passports are set to have enough time to submit their applications.
