MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has directed all Cabinet ministers and senior government officials holding Kenyan passports or Kenyan national identity cards to surrender the documents immediately, in a move that signals escalating immigration and diplomatic tensions between Mogadishu and Nairobi.
The directive, reportedly issued during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, July 30, requires affected officials to choose between serving in the Somali government and retaining their Kenyan travel and identification documents.
According to reports from Somalia, the order also extends to senior bureaucrats found to possess Kenyan identity cards.
The decision has reportedly triggered debate within the Somali Cabinet, with some ministers objecting to the directive on grounds that Somalia’s laws recognize dual citizenship, making the move controversial within government circles.
Officials denied entry into Kenya
The latest directive follows recent incidents involving senior Somali officials who were reportedly denied entry into Kenya at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
Among those affected were Somalia’s State Minister at the Presidency Abshir Bukhaari and Second Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid Haji, who were allegedly stopped over questions surrounding the travel documents they carried.
Reports further indicate that Kenyan immigration authorities have intensified scrutiny of Somali officials travelling with Kenyan passports.
Sources cited in Somali media claim that nearly 30 government officials have been placed on a watchlist at Kenyan airports, with several reportedly denied entry in recent weeks.
Kenya and Somalia seek to ease tensions
The developments come just a day after Kenya and Somalia held high-level diplomatic talks aimed at resolving the growing immigration dispute.
On Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi met Somalia’s Foreign Minister Abdisalam Ali in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where the two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation on consular affairs and improve the movement of citizens and government officials between the neighbouring countries.
The passport controversy has also reignited public debate over longstanding claims that some foreign nationals may have fraudulently acquired Kenyan identity documents.
The Kenyan government has repeatedly dismissed those allegations, maintaining that non-citizens are only eligible for alien identification documents issued strictly for administrative purposes.
Immigration Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang has previously insisted that Kenyan national identity cards are not issued to foreign nationals.
