Kenya: Information regarding false Kenyan passports
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 May 1990 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | KEN5410 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Kenya: Information regarding false Kenyan passports, 1 May 1990, KEN5410, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aabe1c.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to External Affairs, a birth certificate is required for the issuance of a Kenyan passport. Because the Kenyan identity cards are only issued to Kenyan nationals, and each individual must be vetted at the local level for these documents, it may be assumed that the requirements for proof of Kenyan citizenship or issuance of passports are no less stringent. It should be noted that the issuance of passports is not considered a constitutional right, and the "government reserves the right to issue or deny passports at its discretion". [
FootnoteS:
U.S. Department of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1988, p. 163.] The government has confiscated passports from individuals upon their return from abroad, and has also been known to deny passports to people detained under the provisions of the Preservation of Public Security Act. [ Ibid., p. 163.]
When asked about false Kenyan passports, External Affairs reported that Kenyan citizens do not require visas to enter Canada. However, they need valid Kenyan passports to travel outside of Kenya. External Affairs also stated that it is possible for someone to obtain a Kenyan passport fraudulently, just as it possible to get a Canadian passport through fraudulent means.
Corroborating information for the oral source is currently unavailable to the IRBDC.