The government will open a passport office in Malindi early next year to facilitate access to travel documents for residents of the northern coast, who are increasingly seeking work abroad. This was announced by Deputy District Commissioner David Lusava during Mashujaa Day celebrations at Gede Primary School in the Malindi division.

Lusava explained that the initiative by the Department of State for Home Affairs and Citizen Services aims to resolve the difficulties faced by those who, until now, have been forced to travel to Mombasa or Nairobi to obtain a passport. ‘Very soon, through the Ministry of Home Affairs and National Administration, we will open a passport office in Malindi,’ he said. ‘From the beginning of next year, applicants will no longer have to travel, as passports will be issued locally.’

Lusawa pointed out that many young people in the region, eager to work in the Gulf countries, have encountered difficulties in completing the paperwork, but with the opening of the new office, these obstacles should disappear.
In his speech, the deputy commissioner also invited residents to visit the new land registry office in Malindi to collect thousands of property titles that are already available. He emphasised that these documents can be used as collateral for access to credit and thus contribute to local economic development.

Lusava then issued a warning to drug traffickers, stating that the government will not allow a few individuals to compromise the future of young people with illegal activities. He promised that those responsible would be prosecuted with the utmost severity.
The official also denounced the continuing invasion of private land, pointing to it as one of the main causes of the delay in the expansion of Malindi airport. "It is worrying that the government must first compensate squatters who have settled on land earmarked for the project before it can purchase it from the rightful owners. This is a waste of money that should not be happening," Lusava said.

Another critical issue, he added, is the killing of elderly people accused of witchcraft. He cited the incident on Sunday night when an elderly man's house was set on fire by arsonists following such accusations.
The deputy commissioner urged the population not to be deceived by unscrupulous preachers who exploit people's faith, recalling the incidents in Shakahola and Kwa Binzaro, where hundreds of followers lost their lives due to fasting imposed by false prophets in the name of “spiritual purification”.
Present at the ceremony, anti-drug ambassador Famau Mohamed Famau called on the government to take more decisive action against drug traffickers, accusing them of destroying the future of young people in the region.