Activist and presidential candidate Boniface Mwangi has set off a heated national debate after sharing a leaked document that he claims exposes serious abuse of office at the Immigration Department.
In his post on X, Mwangi accused Director General of Immigration Services Evelyn Cheluget of overseeing the irregular issuance of Kenyan passports to foreigners under instructions from State House.
His claims have sparked anger and renewed scrutiny on how such sensitive documents are approved and who truly controls the process.
The leaked document contains application IDs, names, passport categories marked as new or renewal, mostly ordinary passports, and dates ranging from August 2024 to February 2026.
Among the names listed is Zimbabwean businessman Wicknel Chivayo, shown as having received a new ordinary passport in July 2025. Mwangi alleges that Chivayo is politically connected and linked to interests around Kenya’s 2027 elections.
That revelation alone raises serious questions about motive and intent. But the deeper concern is not just about one name. It is about whether the office tasked with protecting Kenyan citizenship is being misused.
Kenyan passport rules are clear. An applicant must possess a valid Kenyan national ID, open and use an e citizen account, submit biometric data, and pay the required fees.
These steps are meant to prevent fraud and safeguard national security. Mwangi is questioning how the listed individuals met these requirements.
He is asking whose identification documents were used, which e citizen accounts processed the applications, and whether payments were properly made or bypassed.
There are also claims that immigration officers were instructed to treat certain applicants as VIPs and fast track their processing.
That points to preferential treatment and a deliberate bypassing of safeguards.
The Immigration Director General holds a powerful and sensitive position. The office is responsible for ensuring that Kenyan passports are issued only to legitimate citizens or qualified applicants under the law.
Any deviation from that responsibility shakes public confidence. This is not the first time Cheluget’s office has faced allegations linked to questionable passport approvals.
Previous reports have suggested that immigration systems were manipulated to benefit controversial foreign figures.
Each incident has left lingering doubts about oversight and accountability within the department.
Kenyans understand how difficult it can be to obtain a passport. Many have faced long waiting periods, system delays, and strict verification checks.
For ordinary citizens, the process can take months. Seeing reports of alleged express processing for individuals whose eligibility is unclear feels like a betrayal of fairness.
Passports are not simple travel documents. They represent citizenship, identity, and access. If they are issued outside the law, the consequences go beyond paperwork.
It becomes a matter of national security and public trust. Evelyn Cheluget now faces mounting pressure to explain how these approvals happened and whether proper procedures were followed.
