Electronic passports (e-passports) in East Africa were spread by the rumor mill in 2017, but never became a reality, not until last month. While the East African passport is now a mandatory must have travel document with only a National ID as the top requirement. The issuance of these new passports is set to take effect by January 2019 after the Minister In-charge received 24,000 passports earlier today
With the ever-evolving effect of National ID data that is required to cross EastAfrican boarders alongside sim registration, the new Electronic passport features an effective biometric chip that can be scanned in the same way as a National ID fingerprint log replacing the ordinary passport by a notch higher.
According to the Internal affairs minister Jeje Odong, the new electronic passport can be used to travel anywhere in the world beyond the East African region. Additionally, the biodata chip shipped to the new passports holds a hefty sum of data about every traveler making it an ideal solution to gradually replace the old passport
As for all old passport holders, the new electronic passport is a must have document that will pave its way through several checkpoints by January with over 24,000 passports so far received by the minister. By the same fashion, all passport holders will be required to swap them in for the new East African passport at no extra cost but through the new issuance procedures. Nonetheless, the new electronic passport chip will hold as more data as a national ID card, but the latter only weighs as an East African local gateway and any international travels will now be granted with an e-passport before any travel visas
