Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has alleged that the ongoing shortage of passport books is the result of funds collected through the eCitizen platform being diverted to other government activities, including political campaigns.
Speaking at his Wamunyoro residence on Thursday while hosting a delegation from Subukia Constituency in Nakuru County, Gachagua claimed he had received information from officials within the Department of Immigration Services indicating that the agency has been unable to print new passports for the past four months due to a lack of passport booklets.
According to Gachagua, the shortage has left thousands of applicants waiting for months to receive travel documents despite completing the application process.
“I received intelligence from the Immigration Department offices that, for four months, they have not been able to print new passports due to an extreme shortage of passport books,” Gachagua said.
The former deputy president alleged that the problem is not caused by a lack of demand or administrative inefficiencies, but by the diversion of money generated through the eCitizen platform.
He claimed the funds, which he said should have been used to procure passport books, were instead redirected to finance activities surrounding the recently concluded Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election.
“They told me there is no money to print a single passport book because the money that comes in through eCitizen was diverted to other things, such as the Ol Kalou by-election,” he alleged.
Gachagua also accused Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen of using the same pool of funds to facilitate helicopter tours across the Rift Valley, claiming the visits are part of an early political campaign aimed at positioning himself as the region’s leading political figure ahead of the 2027 General Election.
According to Gachagua, Murkomen’s recent travels have largely focused on counties including Kericho, Bomet, West Pokot and his home county of Elgeyo Marakwet as he seeks to strengthen his political influence in the region.
The former deputy president challenged journalists to visit the Department of Immigration offices at Nairobi’s Nyayo House to verify the passport backlog and establish the extent of the shortage.
He further alleged that the limited number of passport booklets currently available had been reserved for members of a particular community as part of efforts to secure political support ahead of the 2027 elections. He did not provide evidence to support the claims.
Gachagua’s remarks come amid growing public frustration over delays in passport processing, with many Kenyans reporting that they have waited several months after submitting their applications.
Applicants have also complained that the commonly requested 50-page and 66-page passports are largely unavailable at immigration offices, forcing many to settle for the smaller 34-page passport. The shortage has particularly affected frequent travellers, students and job seekers who require larger passport booklets for international travel.
Neither the Department of Immigration Services nor the Ministry of Interior had publicly responded to Gachagua’s allegations by the time of publication.