Plans are underway to install an Advanced Passenger Information (API) system as well as e-Gates at the country’s entry points for easy profiling of passengers and convenience.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Prof. Kithure Kindiki, said the APIS and e-Gates will be critical in boosting the country’s security and eliminating queues as passengers await their immigration stamps.
Kindiki revealed that the APIS and e-Gates will be installed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) as well as all ports of entry.
“The Ministry is at an advanced stage of acquiring and installing an Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS) that will be integrated into the international immigration system to enable one to profile passengers traveling in and out of Kenya and even those transiting through the country before they land here,” Kindiki said.
“APIS will be supplemented with the installation of e-Gates at JKIA and our Ports of Entry. Besides being a major boost in assisting our immigration and security endeavors, this APIS system and e-Gates will eliminate queues at our immigration counters.”
Kindiki said the government is also working to improve the electronic surveillance at the ports’ gates to be able to detect prohibited items.
He at the same time reiterated the recently announced Unique Personal Identifier (UPI) registration for newborns saying the program will be part of introducing third-generation smart and digital IDs.
Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary Prof. Julius Bitok announced that the new registration format for newborns and issuing of birth and death certificates online will be rolled out in March this year.
“On the 1st of March, all registrations of births and death will be online. They will be accessed through e-citizen services and people will be given what we call Unique Personal Identifier (UPI),” Prof Bitok said on Tuesday.
