Unelected MPs, former ministers directed to surrender their diplomatic passports

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has directed former ministers and MPs who lost their seats in the recent elections to return their diplomatic and service passports, saying they are no longer entitled to hold the documents.

Speaking to journalists, the ministry's spokesperson, Simon Peter Mundeyi, said the privileges attached to diplomatic and service passports end immediately after a public official leaves office.

He explained that former legislators and ministers who still possess the passports should surrender them and apply for ordinary passports instead.

“I call upon former MPs who have been holding service passports; now that their term of office has ended, that Honourable title also ends and it ends with that passport; so we don’t expect them to use that passport after. I am calling on former MPs to return those passports and we issue them with ordinary passports,” Mundeyi said.

He revealed that some former ministers had already complied with the directive and handed back their diplomatic passports.

“We have got some few, very law-abiding former ministers who have already returned their diplomatic passports and we are preparing to issue them with ordinary passports,” he said.

Mundeyi noted that many of the passports were issued with a validity period of 10 years despite the holders serving shorter terms in public office.

“Ordinarily, we should have issued them passports that last five years but we did not do it then. We issued them with those whose validity runs for ten years. I hope that these people are honourable enough to know that their term of service has ended,” he said.

He added that the ministry does not intend to pursue former officials individually but expects them to comply voluntarily.

“We are not going to run after them; we expect them to return the passports,” Mundeyi said.

Diplomatic passports are issued to senior government officials, diplomats and other authorised state representatives to facilitate official travel abroad. Service passports are generally issued to public servants travelling on government business.

The ministry maintains that once a holder leaves office, the justification for retaining the passport ceases unless the individual still occupies a position that qualifies for the privilege.

The directive comes as government agencies continue reviewing benefits and privileges attached to public office following the end of the current parliamentary term and recent changes in government leadership.