Work Permit Verification Process

The BIK Steering Committee was represented at a KEPSA-organised briefing on the 29th May, 2018 by Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang’i and his team on immigration matters of relevance to the private sector. Much of the discussion centered on the current work permit verification exercise so we thought it might be useful to share the presentation from the meeting with all BIK members as this may directly affect you and your companies/partners.

Below are the main points highlighted during the meeting, and some tips from those who have been through the verification process.

  • All holders of work/residence permits A-M have to participate in the ongoing verification process. Most people are on Class D permits (employees), followed by those working in agriculture (B), mining (A) and investors (G). However, all classes (including retirees, missionaries and refugees) should participate. Click here to get an overview of the different classes.
  • The verification process cannot currently be devolved to other cities due to capacity constraints; all permit holders therefore have to present at Nyayo House in Nairobi.
  • All permit holders should present at Nyayo House with the correct documentation for registration and biometrics, and will be issued with tamper-proof electronic work permit cards after two weeks.
  • The verification exercise is ongoing until 21 July. Nyayo House will be open from 7.a.m until 5.p.m to facilitate this, Monday to Saturday (and possibly Sundays but this has not yet been clarified)
  • The main reason for being turned away is lack of the correct and original documentation. This includes the digital receipt for payment of a holder’s current permit (which can be easily printed from your e-citizen account even if the password is forgotten as a new one can be generated). Those with hand-written receipts will be turned away. Once the original documents are reviewed, each person has to queue for photos and fingerprint scanning. The permit will then be ready for collection after two weeks.

The following documents are required for the verification process:

  • Original Work permit
  • Original Passport (with valid official endorsement of the work permit in the passport)
  • Valid (original) Alien ID card
  • Official payment receipt for the issuance fee of the permit held (digital receipt printed from e-citizen account)
  • KRA PIN (print out of PIN number)