Good news for all Kenyan citizens who have not yet had time to switch from their old passport to the new digital e-passport and who were about to see the deadline beyond which they would be irregular according to the new East African regulations.
The Government of Kenya has extended the deadline for the mandatory transfer of its citizens to the new e-passport to 1 March 2021.
The decision was confirmed by the Minister of Interior and National Security Fred Matiang'i, who pointed out that the decision was taken because there are still 1.8 million Kenyans who habitually travel or reside abroad who have not yet adapted and have not replaced their old passports with the biometric electronic passport of the East African Community.
The Kenyans therefore still have one more year to comply and in the meantime can travel with their current dark blue passports.
The Minister announced that the Government will work to phase out the old ordinary passports as part of Kenya's commitment to migrate to the new generation e-passport in accordance with ICAO specifications.