Obsolete equipment frustrates immigration efficiency

Old and obsolete equipment has been named as the cause of breakdown of immigration and citizenship systems at border control stations and ports of exit and entry across the country. Presenting the budget proposal for the ministry to Parliament recently, Minister of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Affairs, Ngaka Ngaka, said these challenges affect the ministry’s efficient and effective delivery of services. “My ministry occasionally experiences breakdown of the passport and border control as well as the Immigration and Citizenship Systems equipment such as passport readers at ports of entry or exit due to the fact that our equipment is old and in some cases obsolete. Low bandwidth at ports of entry/exit also contributes to delays,” said Ngaka. He pointed out that this sometimes frustrates not only the customers but the officers as it results in long queues especially during peak times. “To address these problems, my ministry will develop and upgrade its systems during the 2019/20 financial year,” he said. However, Ngaka said the country continues to experience challenges with the management of irregular migrants and they have developed some strategies to respond to the challenges. The ministry has started implementation of the Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems. The Omang component is in use and the Immigration service component will be completed in the next financial year. The ministry has also completed the installation of the Public Key Directory with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Once installed the Public Key Directory will validate the authenticity and integrity of e-passports of other member states.