Somalia Deputy PM surrenders Kenyan Passport and ID
Somalia Deputy PM surrenders Kenyan Passport and ID
Somalia’s Second Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid Haji has surrendered his Kenyan passport, national identity card and birth certificate days after a presidential directive.
Haji presented the documents to Kenya’s Deputy Ambassador to Somalia, Elias Bare Shill, during a ceremony held in Mogadishu on Monday, August 3.
The handover follows an order issued by Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud requiring ministers and senior government officials holding Kenyan identification documents to give them up or vacate office.
The move came over a month after Haji was reportedly denied entry into Kenya upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in June over claims that he possessed a fraudulently acquired Kenyan passport.
Mohamud’s order was announced on July 30 amid growing immigration-related tensions between Kenya and Somalia.
It followed reports that some senior officials were travelling using Kenyan passports and national identity cards.
Reports indicated that several Somali government officials have been denied entry or deported amid increased scrutiny by Kenyan immigration authorities over alleged irregularities involving travel documents.
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In addition, the developments have renewed public concern over allegations that some foreign nationals may be illegally acquiring Kenyan identification documents.
However, Immigration and Citizens Services Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang has consistently dismissed those claims, maintaining that non-citizens are not issued Kenyan passports or IDs and instead receive alien identification documents where eligible.
The immigration concerns also featured in recent diplomatic engagements between the two countries.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Somalia’s Foreign Minister Abdisalam Ali recently held talks in Addis Ababa, where they agreed to strengthen cooperation on consular affairs and facilitate smoother movement of citizens and government officials.
Haji’s relinquishing of the documents makes him the first member of Somalia’s federal Cabinet to comply with the presidential directive as both governments continue addressing the immigration concerns.
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