Government Moves to Deepen Reforms in Immigration and Citizen Services to Enhance Efficiency
The government has reaffirmed its commitment to continuous reform of the immigration and citizen services sector with the ultimate aim of providing faster, better, and citizen-friendly services.
Onesmus Kipchumba Murkomen.Photo/Copurtesy
By Ruth Sang
To date, senior government officials have endeavored to speed up reforms in the immigration and citizen services sector, channeling effort toward the modernization of services in this regard with regard to efficiency and easy access to pertinent documents for Kenyans.
Tuesday morning saw the Cabinet Secretary, alongside Principal Secretary Dr. Belio Kipsang, hold a high-level meeting with Heads of Directorates at the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services in reviewing the progress made so far and in exploring further ways to consolidate the gains made through recent reforms.
During the meeting, the leaders explored ways to enhance service delivery while safeguarding security standards. These discussions are being held at a time when the government is making efforts to simplify procedures and reduce the charges that citizens incur when applying for identification and travel documents.
Some of the major reforms already implemented do entail the scrapping of all fees for first-time applicants for national identity cards. The government has also done away with an extra vetting provision for ID applicants in border counties, thereby facilitating a speedy issuance process while upholding necessary security. National IDs and passports have also been issued quickly so that waiting periods can be reduced, thus enhancing convenience for the applicants.
More reforms have been instituted to abolish fees for birth certificate authentication when acquiring national identity cards and passports. The government has also lifted fees for duplicates of identity cards, thus helping citizens needing replacements because of loss or damage.
Officials noted that these reforms are part of a wider agenda to increase accessibility, affordability, and efficiency for public services. They noted that many more changes were planned for the coming months in a bid to further streamline operations and improve the overall experience of the public requiring immigration and registration services.
The meeting brought together several senior government officials responsible for the various departments within the sector. Among the attendees were Secretary National Registration Bureau Dr. Christopher Wanjau, Secretary Civil Registration Paul Mwangemi, Director-General of eCitizen Services Ambassador Isaac Ochieng, and Director-General of Immigration Services Evelyn Cheluget.
Nairobi Regional Commissioner Gilbert Kitiyo, together with Commissioner for Refugee Affairs Mercy Mwasaru, Secretary Administration Serser Chelulei, and other senior government officials, was also in attendance.
The government has reaffirmed its commitment to continuous reform of the immigration and citizen services sector with the ultimate aim of providing faster, better, and citizen-friendly services. The officials noted that the collaborative spirit adopted during the meeting would contribute to ensuring that ongoing and future reforms result in tangible benefits to Kenyans across the nation.
About Author
