Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid Haji has returned a Kenyan passport issued to him, saying the move was aimed at ensuring transparency in his public role.
The decision comes amid rising tensions between Nairobi and Mogadishu over Kenyan travel documents held by Somali officials, following another Somali official being turned away at a Kenyan airport.
In a statement, Haji maintained that the document was genuine, lawfully obtained, and issued in full compliance with the relevant procedures. He described the decision to return it as a measure intended to uphold the standards expected of a public official and insisted it had nothing to do with any dispute or demand from Kenyan authorities.
“This step is entirely administrative and was not prompted by any dispute or request from any authority. Their generosity and friendship will always be remembered with respect and gratitude,” he said, thanking the Kenyan government and people for their longstanding hospitality towards Somalis.
He stressed that the gesture did not signal any wavering in his loyalty to Mogadishu. “Returning the passport reflects my dedication to maintaining absolute clarity in my public role and my steadfast loyalty to Somalia,” he said, while reaffirming his respect for Kenya’s institutions and commitment to strengthening ties between the two countries.
Haji’s announcement comes against the backdrop of a dispute that has been escalating since June, when he was stopped and questioned at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport over a Kenyan passport he was carrying alongside his Somali diplomatic passport. At the time, he had a valid visa and initially declined to surrender the document.
The dispute deepened when Somalia’s State Minister at the Presidency, Abshir Bukhaari, was similarly denied entry at the same airport and placed on a return flight to Mogadishu over questions surrounding a Kenyan passport he was reportedly travelling with.
That incident further strained relations, with Somali media reporting that Mogadishu summoned Kenya’s ambassador for an explanation, although neither government has formally confirmed such a meeting took place.
The incidents come amid a wider investigation by Kenyan authorities into what they describe as irregularly or fraudulently obtained Kenyan travel documents allegedly held by some senior Somali officials and politically connected individuals.
Kenyan officials have previously indicated that thousands of Kenyan passports may have been flagged as part of the investigation, including reports of up to 2,000 documents under review. Somalia’s government has since directed all cabinet ministers and senior officials holding Kenyan passports or identity cards to surrender them without delay.
Despite the dispute, Kenya and Somalia have continued diplomatic engagement. The matter reportedly featured in a bilateral meeting between Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi and Somalia’s Foreign Minister Abdisalam Ali on the sidelines of the 49th African Union Executive Council meeting in Addis Ababa.
A media dispatch issued after the talks said the two ministers agreed to strengthen cooperation on immigration management, consular affairs and cross-border mobility. Neither government, however, has publicly linked those discussions directly to the airport incidents that have dominated headlines in recent weeks.
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