Immigration cuts passport printing

The Immigration Department has reduced the number of passports it is printing due to shortage of consumables, the department confirmed on Thursday this week.

The reduction comes at a time the department increased passport application fees from K15 100 to K48 500.

Explained the department’s spokesperson Martha Gonondo: “Due to technical faults we have been experiencing, we have conducted a number of tests to see how passports would look like. We were using these consumables during these tests, that is why there was a shortage,” said Manondo.

She could not say when the passport printing would return to normal but added that new ones have been ordered and would arrive soon.

But inside sources told Weekend Nation on Thursday the institution has stopped printing passports due to lack of funds.

“We have stopped printing passports because we do not have money to buy consumables. Companies that used to supply us the consumables have also stopped because we owe them huge sums of money,” said an official at the immigration.

But Gonondo insisted that the printing of passports have not stopped.

“There are people that critically need the passports and we will print for them. But those without urgent need will have to wait till the situation normalises,” she said. n