Public servants travelling abroad on government assignments could soon have a new category of passport after the government announced plans to introduce a green-coloured service passport.
Principal Secretary for Immigration and Citizen Services Belio Kipsang told MPs on Thursday, November 5, that the document had already been printed and would be issued once the required regulations were finalised.
The passport will be available to state officers and public servants who travel on official duties but do not qualify for diplomatic passports.
Kipsang made the announcement while appearing before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security, where MPs were discussing the rules governing the issuance of diplomatic passports.
He explained that service passports were previously issued to members of the disciplined services, including police officers and military personnel travelling outside the country on official assignments.
The proposed changes would introduce the document for a wider group of public servants.
The discussion before the committee followed a petition by the Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ), which raised concerns about the treatment of officials serving in constitutional offices who are not included among those eligible for diplomatic passports.
Kipsang said the government was open to reviewing the regulations introduced in 2012 under the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act to address the concerns and take into account changes brought about by the 2010 Constitution.
Under the existing rules, diplomatic passports are issued to specific categories of senior state officials. They include the President, Deputy President, Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, governors, senior judicial officers and security chiefs. Some of their spouses and dependants also qualify.
Former senior state officials, including retired Deputy Presidents and their spouses, may also qualify under separate legislation because of their involvement in international assignments such as mediation, peace missions and election observation.
Kipsang also pointed out that Regulation 13 gives the Interior Cabinet Secretary authority to approve diplomatic passports for people outside the listed categories where there is a need, particularly when they are travelling on official government assignments.
He told the committee that diplomatic passports were meant for official government duties and diplomatic functions, adding that their use and recognition needed to be protected.
The proposed service passport would therefore provide another option for public officers travelling abroad on government business without meeting the requirements for a diplomatic passport.
The announcement comes as the government also plans to improve access to passport services. Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen had earlier announced plans to upgrade immigration offices in Nyeri and Malindi to offer passport registration, processing and biometric capture.