KAMPALA, Uganda — The Kenyan government is preparing to introduce green-coloured service passports for public servants and state officers travelling abroad on official assignments but who do not qualify for diplomatic passports.
Principal Secretary for Immigration and Citizen Services Belio Kipsang announced the plan on Thursday, November 5, 2026, while appearing before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security.
Kipsang told MPs that the passports had already been printed, but their issuance would begin only after the government finalises the regulations governing their use.
The proposed document is intended to provide an additional option for government officials undertaking authorised international assignments, distinguishing official travel from ordinary personal journeys and diplomatic engagements.
According to Kipsang, service passports had previously been issued to members of the disciplined services, including police officers and military personnel travelling overseas on official duties.
The planned rollout would extend the use of the document to a wider category of public servants and state officers whose official responsibilities require international travel but whose positions do not automatically qualify them for diplomatic passports.
Why Kenya is reviewing diplomatic passport rules
The announcement came as MPs examined concerns over the eligibility criteria for diplomatic passports, following a petition by the Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ), also known as the Office of the Ombudsman.
The commission raised concerns over what it considers unequal treatment of officials serving in constitutional offices and independent commissions, arguing that some office holders in comparable positions have been excluded from the list of diplomatic passport beneficiaries.
The committee, chaired by Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo, questioned whether the existing regulations adequately reflect the constitutional framework established under the 2010 Constitution.
Kipsang said the government was open to reviewing the regulations introduced in 2012 under the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Act to address the concerns and ensure the framework reflects the country’s current institutional structure.
Teso North MP Oku Kaunya called for the review to cover all relevant constitutional offices rather than addressing the concerns of only the institutions that had submitted complaints.
He argued that offices placed within the same constitutional category should be treated consistently when determining eligibility for diplomatic passports.
Who qualifies for a diplomatic passport in Kenya?
Under the existing regulations, diplomatic passports are reserved for specified senior state officials and other designated office holders.
The eligible categories include the President, Deputy President, Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, county Governors, the Speakers of the National Assembly and Senate, the Chief Justice, judges of superior courts, the Attorney-General and the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The Auditor-General, Controller of Budget, Inspector-General of Police, Chief of the Defence Forces (CDF), military service commanders and Director-General of the National Intelligence Service are also among those covered by the provisions.
Certain spouses and dependants of eligible office holders qualify under the regulations, while separate legislation provides for some retired officials, including former Deputy Presidents and their spouses.
However, eligibility is not entirely restricted to the offices listed in the regulations.
Kipsang told MPs that the Interior Cabinet Secretary has discretion to authorise diplomatic passports for individuals outside the designated categories when circumstances justify their issuance, particularly where official government assignments require international travel.
He maintained that diplomatic passports are intended to facilitate official duties and diplomatic functions, and that the government must safeguard their integrity and international recognition.
What the green service passport means
The proposed service passport is expected to occupy a different category from the ordinary and diplomatic passports.
Kenya’s ordinary passport is used by citizens for general international travel, while diplomatic passports are issued to designated officials for qualifying official and diplomatic functions.
The green service passport is intended for public servants travelling abroad on government assignments who do not meet the requirements for diplomatic passports.
Its introduction would therefore provide a more defined travel-document category for officials undertaking state business without automatically extending diplomatic passport eligibility to every public servant.
Importantly, holding a service or diplomatic passport does not automatically guarantee visa-free entry into foreign countries.
Entry requirements remain subject to the destination country’s immigration rules and applicable bilateral or international arrangements.
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The government has yet to announce the final eligibility criteria, application procedures or exact date when the green service passports will become available.
The regulations will determine which officials qualify and the conditions under which the documents may be issued.
The planned introduction comes amid wider efforts to reform passport administration and decentralise immigration services.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has also announced plans to upgrade immigration offices in Nyeri and Malindi to provide full passport registration, processing and biometric capture services, reducing the need for applicants to travel to major processing centres.
The proposed service passport and the review of diplomatic passport regulations signal a broader effort to clarify official travel arrangements while addressing concerns over access to government-issued travel documents.
