Somalia’s Second Deputy Prime Minister, Jibril Abdirashid Haji, was deported from Kenya last Thursday after immigration officers at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport accused him of possessing a fraudulently obtained Kenyan passport. The incident has raised fresh questions about relations between the two neighbouring countries.
Haji arrived from Mogadishu aboard a Saacid Airlines flight using a valid Somali diplomatic passport and a Kenyan visa. During immigration checks, officers allegedly discovered he also held a Kenyan passport that they believed had been obtained fraudulently.
“When interrogated he admitted, and when asked to produce the passport he declined to surrender (it) and claimed that he can only produce it in a court of law,” a police report said.
Authorities later placed Haji on a Daallo Airlines flight back to Mogadishu. According to the police report, he “departed on Thursday at 0645hrs with no incident reported.”
The incident came just days after Kenyan President William Ruto hosted Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Nairobi for talks focused on strengthening cooperation in trade, security, regional stability and cross-border relations. Neither the Kenyan nor Somali government had publicly commented on the deportation at the time of publication.
The episode is particularly sensitive given the close ties between the two countries. Kenya hosts thousands of Somali refugees and contributes troops to the African Union Mission in Somalia, which supports Somalia’s federal government in its fight against the militant group al-Shabaab. Nairobi also serves as a major commercial hub for Somali businesses, with many relying on Kenya’s financial services and the Port of Mombasa for trade.
The case has also reignited concerns inside Kenya over the integrity of its identity documents. It has fueled fears that Kenyan passports and national identity cards may have been obtained illegally by foreign nationals through corrupt networks. A senior Kenyan government official reportedly said authorities are investigating what they believe is a growing number of cases involving foreigners acquiring Kenyan passports fraudulently.
If the allegations are confirmed, the incident could add to the diplomatic strains that have periodically surfaced between Kenya and Somalia over security, maritime boundaries and regional politics. It also raises new questions about whether Kenyan authorities will pursue a formal investigation into how the passport was allegedly obtained and whether the Somali government will issue an official response.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah