Kenyans living in the diaspora want the government to open up centres to offer services at their bases abroad.
Kenyans living in Somaliland and in the Oceania region say they cannot access certain services due to lack of centres.
Particularly disenfranchised are over 10,000 Kenyans working in internationally unrecognized Somaliland where Kenya is yet to set up a consulate.
“We do not have a channel to communicate with our government whenever we have a problem or need certain services,” the Kenyans in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland said.
They say because of lack of a consul, they have had to make long trips back to Nairobi to register for the National Integrated Identity Management System {NIMIMS} popularly known as Huduma Number or the E-Passport.
“Given the huge number of Kenyans working in Somaliland, we are pleading with the government to open up a consulate in Hargeisa so that we can access services or get representation whenever we have a problem,” Christine Syombua said.
Kenya is yet to open a consul in Hargeisa despite the Foreign Minister Monica Juma appointing career diplomat Phillip Mundia Githiora to establish a mission in the Somaliland capital.
In the Oceania region (Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific) the Kenyans are also calling on the Immigration Department to open an E-Passport service centre in Canberra Australia.
“Please note that there are over 40,000 Kenyans living in this region, enough to justify this essential service,” they said.
“It is unfair that we have to incur the high costs of travel to Nairobi for a basic service that has in the past been provided from Canberra,” they added.
They are asking for an upgrade of the E-Passport standards and removal of the August 31 deadline.
They said: “Please note, the Passport is our primary identification document. If this becomes invalid as at August 2019, then it’s not
BY ODINDO AYIEKO
