diff --git a/installers/charm/ro/src/pod_spec.py b/installers/charm/ro/src/pod_spec.py
index b54710c..6c91baf 100644
--- a/installers/charm/ro/src/pod_spec.py
+++ b/installers/charm/ro/src/pod_spec.py
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@
         "kafka_host": lambda value, _: (isinstance(value, str) and len(value) > 0)
         if config_data.get("enable_ng_ro", True)
         else True,
-        "kafka_port": lambda value, _: (isinstance(value, int) and value > 0)
+        "kafka_port": lambda value, _: (isinstance(value, str) and len(value) > 0)
         if config_data.get("enable_ng_ro", True)
         else True,
         "mongodb_connection_string": lambda value, _: (