Kenyans will now be required to use these new passports before leaving the country

Kenyans traveling abroad will be required to replace their passports over the next two years, as the Department of Immigration begins phasing them out.This as the government rolls out the more secure electronic or e-passport from next month meant to capture a passport holder’s bio data.The difference between the current passport and the e-Passport is that the e-passport will have a chip that stores the passport holder’s biometric information, said the department.“Application procedures remain the same, that is through ecitizen.co.ke and the cost (of application) will remain the same,” the department wrote on its Twitter Account.Through the ecitizen portal, applicants pay Sh4,550 for a 32-page passport while 48-page passport costs Sh6,050.The document was initially set to be launched in December 2016 before it was pushed to April then to September 2017. The move is an East African initiative and ePassports will also be rolled out in the other EA countries simultaneously.“Smart gates that will be used alongside the e-passports will be introduced at our airports,” the department added.Kenyans will now be required to use these new passports before leaving the country