Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has directed all Cabinet ministers and government officials holding Kenyan passports and national identity cards to surrender the documents immediately, escalating a diplomatic row between Mogadishu and Nairobi over immigration and travel documentation.
The directive was reportedly issued during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, July 30, amid growing concerns over the use of foreign identification documents by Somali public officials.
According to government sources, affected officials have been instructed to choose between retaining their positions in government or keeping their Kenyan passports and identity cards.
The order is also said to extend to senior bureaucrats found to possess Kenyan identification documents.
Reports from Somalia indicate that the decision triggered debate within the Cabinet, with some ministers reportedly opposing the directive on the grounds that Somali law recognizes dual citizenship.
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The move follows reports that Somalia’s State Minister Abshir Bukhaari and Second Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid Haji were denied entry into Kenya upon arriving at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) over questions regarding the travel documents they were allegedly using.
There are also reports that Kenyan authorities have increased scrutiny of Somali government officials travelling with Kenyan passports.
According to sources, about 30 Somali government officials have reportedly been placed on a watchlist at Kenyan airports, with several allegedly denied entry in recent weeks.
In an effort to ease the growing diplomatic tensions, Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi met Somalia’s Foreign Minister Abdisalam Ali in Addis Ababa on Wednesday.
During the talks, both governments agreed to strengthen cooperation on consular affairs and improve the movement of citizens and government officials between the two countries.
The latest developments have reignited public debate over longstanding claims that some foreign nationals have fraudulently acquired Kenyan identity documents.
However, the Kenyan government has consistently denied the allegations. Immigration Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang has maintained that non-Kenyans are only issued with alien identification documents for administrative purposes and not Kenyan national identity cards.
