NAIROBI — Kenya has deported Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid Haji after immigration officials at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport questioned his alleged possession of a Kenyan passport believed to have been obtained fraudulently, according to media reports and sources familiar with the matter.
Haji, who arrived in Nairobi from Mogadishu on Wednesday aboard a Saacid Airlines flight, reportedly presented a Somali diplomatic passport and a valid Kenyan visa during immigration clearance. Officials later became suspicious that he was also carrying a Kenyan passport whose acquisition was under investigation.
Sources said the Somali official acknowledged possessing the Kenyan passport but declined to surrender it to immigration authorities, arguing that any dispute regarding the document should be resolved through legal channels.
He was subsequently held for several hours in the airport’s VIP lounge while immigration officials conducted further checks before being placed on a Daallo Airlines flight back to Mogadishu, effectively denying him entry into Kenya.
A police report cited by Kenyan media said Haji departed Kenya early Friday and that there was “no incident reported” during his removal.
Neither the Kenyan nor Somali governments had issued an official statement on the matter as of Friday. However, reports quoting officials familiar with the case said the deportation could strain relations between the two neighbouring countries.
The incident comes as Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was in Kenya this week for talks with Kenyan President William Ruto on bilateral cooperation and regional security issues.
Haji is a senior figure in Somalia’s federal government and has previously held several cabinet positions, including defence and commerce minister.
The development also follows a recent decision by the European Union to impose temporary restrictions on visa access for Somali citizens, citing insufficient cooperation by Somalia in accepting the return of nationals ordered to leave EU member states.
