We've never issued passports to foreigners, Immigration PS Belio Kipsang tells MPs

Immigration PS Belio Kipsang appearing before MPs on Monday, March 16, 2026./PARLIAMENT

Immigration and Citizens Services Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang has refuted reports that foreign nationals have been issued with Kenyan passports.

Dr. Belio yesterday told MPs that the media reports that foreigners with dubious backgrounds including Sudanese militia RSF leaders and a controversial Zimbabwean businessman, have been issued Kenyan passports are not true.

The PS insisted that only eligible Kenyan citizens are issued with registration documents and that the issuance of passports strictly follows due process, with only individuals possessing the required primary registration documents qualifying for passport allocation

“On issuance of some of these documents, I would want to assure everybody that we only issue these documents to Kenyans, mainly our IDs and birth certificates, and that you can get any other documents unless you have the ID and birth certificate,” he said.

Dr Belio spoke when he appeared before the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security on Monday afternoon to deliberate on the Supplementary Estimates No. I for the FY 2025/2026.

He affirmed to the committee and Kenyans that the resources allocated to the State Department will be utilized prudently to serve the public and enhance the productivity and effectiveness of the department's programmes and operations.

He revealed that the State Department has already utilised more than half of its development budget for the 2025/26 financial year, with Sh6.78 billion spent as at 31st December 2025.

“The expenditure under the development budget is above 50 per cent due to full-year access to some budget items such as supplies for the production of ID cards, the purchase of passport booklets, and contracted technical services for the e-Citizen platform to facilitate the honouring of contractual obligations,” Dr. Belio said.

During the session, the Committee observed that audit reports indicate that the Civil Registration Department continues to collect a significant portion of its revenues manually, amounting to hundreds of millions of shillings annually.

Members sought clarification on why the Department had not fully automated the collection of these revenues through digital platforms such as e-Citizen.

In response, the PS clarified that no manual collections are currently undertaken, noting that all payments are processed through the e-Citizen platform via a paybill system.

In his closing remarks, Dr Belio emphasized that the Unique Personal Identifier (UPI) will be central to the future of identity management in the country and remains one of the most critical initiatives the State Department will focus on moving forward.