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{
    "id": 1481035,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1481035/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 31,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Musalia Mudavadi",
    "speaker_title": "The Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 84,
        "legal_name": "Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi",
        "slug": "musalia-mudavadi"
    },
    "content": "we indicate that the authorised establishment is 17 and the in post is 14. So, there is a variance of three. I have also indicated that there is an Immigration Officer attached in the Permanent United Nation (UN) Mission to handle the consulate services. Mr. Speaker, Sir, again on the same principle, I have also attached the details of the LA; the authorised, the in post and whether there is any variance. Clearly, on the L.A., both the authorised and in post tally, that is a total of seven as it stands now. I have also tabulated the responsibilities of all these officers. It is a long list. Perhaps, it may be necessary for the Hon. Senator to seek any clarification on one or two issues after he looks at it. The second aspect is about efficiency, to explain how the staffing levels have impacted the operational efficiency of the said diplomatic missions and clarify whether there are any plans to deploy additional staff. Mr. Speaker, Sir, definitely, staffing levels have a direct influence on operational efficiency by affecting workload distribution, response times and the overall capacity to manage diplomatic tasks. Therefore, low staffing levels may occasion service deliveries, such as delays in processing visas when we are doing the full angle of visas. However, we still do it on a limited basis because, as you know, we are also a visa-free country now, but there are still some areas that require visa processing. We have aspects of managing communication and executing policy initiatives. So, definitely, it is absolutely essential that proper staffing levels are in situ to avoid delays. The third aspect that I will touch on is the issue on the delay in issuance of the national identity (ID) cards to Kenyans residing in the USA and what the Ministry is doing to resolve this issue. The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs serves as a facilitator coordinating the issuance of ID cards through the immigration attaches in missions abroad. In this case, ID cards are processed at our Embassy in Washington D.C. which is also in charge of the Consulate in New York and processes ID cards for Kenyans in the eastern side of the USA and the Consulate in LA serves Kenyans on the western side. Some of the challenges that have occasioned delays include the following- (a) Issuance of registration on E-Citizen where the system sometimes rejects foreign numbers where the One Time Password (OTP) has to be sent to the particular phone number used for registration. We are now sensitising the diaspora to use the email option. (b) The processing of ID cards is entirely manual and verification of all applications has to be done by the National Registration Bureau (NRB). This causes a bit of delay, especially, at missions that are not well staffed. In addition, in the event of queries, the request has to be channelled back to the mission to seek clarity from the applicant. I also bring to the attention of the Senate that the court case brought against the"
}