What did the customs officer mention regarding passports at the Kenya-Tanganyika border?

The customs officer's mention that the passports looked the same and he could not read them highlights the confusion and challenges faced at border crossings, especially in areas where multiple nationalities come together. This scenario illustrates the difficulty customs officers may encounter when dealing with various passport designs and languages, which can make the vetting process more complicated.

The emphasis on passports looking the same suggests a lack of distinctiveness among the documents presented, further compounded by the officer's inability to read them, pointing to issues with linguistic understanding. This situation can lead to delays or misunderstandings during customs checks, reflecting a broader theme in the narrative about the complexities of travel and immigration.

Other options do not capture the essence of the officer's experience as effectively as the one indicating his confusion over the similarity of the passports and his inability to decipher them. Each of those options presents different scenarios that do not directly reflect the customs officer's logistical challenge in that moment.