Somalia’s Second Deputy Prime Minister, Jibril Abdirashid Haji, has officially relinquished his Kenyan identification documents in compliance with a directive issued by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud targeting senior government officials holding foreign citizenship or identification papers.
Haji handed over his Kenyan passport, national identity card and birth certificate to Kenya’s Deputy Ambassador to Somalia, Elias Bare Shill, during a ceremony held in Mogadishu on Monday, August 3.
The surrender comes days after President Mohamud directed Cabinet ministers and other senior state officials in possession of Kenyan identification documents to either relinquish them or step down from their positions. The order is part of the Somali government’s efforts to address concerns surrounding dual nationality and the use of foreign identity documents by public officials.
The directive followed an incident in June when Haji was reportedly denied entry into Kenya at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) after questions emerged over the authenticity of a Kenyan passport allegedly issued in his name.
President Mohamud announced the new policy on July 30 as diplomatic and immigration-related concerns between Kenya and Somalia continued to draw attention. The issue gained prominence following reports that several senior Somali officials had been travelling using Kenyan passports and national identity cards.
There have also been claims that some Somali government officials were denied entry into Kenya or deported after immigration authorities intensified scrutiny over suspected irregularities involving travel documents.
The developments have reignited debate in Kenya over allegations that some foreign nationals may have illegally obtained Kenyan identification documents. However, Immigration and Citizens Services Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang has repeatedly maintained that Kenyan passports and national identity cards are issued only to eligible citizens, while qualified non-citizens receive alien registration documents.
The matter has also featured in recent diplomatic engagements between Nairobi and Mogadishu. During talks held in Addis Ababa, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Somalia’s Foreign Minister Abdisalam Ali agreed to strengthen cooperation on immigration, consular services and the movement of citizens and government officials between the two neighbouring countries.
By surrendering his Kenyan documents, Haji becomes the first member of Somalia’s federal Cabinet to publicly comply with President Mohamud’s directive as both countries work to resolve the immigration issues through diplomatic channels.