Nairobi, May 3 -- The number of passports issued dipped to a four-year low in 2025, despite printing system upgrades and the opening of more processing centres.

Official data shows that 393,567 passports were issued last year, a 36.7 percent drop from the 621,794 in 2024 and the lowest since the 273,328 issued in 2021.

The significant drop in passports issued signals prolonged delays and struggles for Kenyans seeking to travel abroad to pursue job and education opportunities.

The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) did not disclose the reason behind the plunge, which comes despite the government procuring new high-capacity printers, opening more centres and cutting processing times for passports for jobs abroad to 72 hours from ...