Somalia's Second Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid Haji has surrendered his Kenyan passport, national identity card and birth certificate following a directive issued by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud targeting senior officials holding foreign identification documents.
Haji formally handed over the documents during a ceremony in Mogadishu, becoming the first member of Somalia's federal Cabinet to comply with the order.
The move comes amid growing immigration tensions between Kenya and Somalia, following reports of increased scrutiny over Kenyan identification documents allegedly held by some Somali government officials.
Deputy PM complies with presidential directive
Haji presented the 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.
The handover followed a directive issued by President Mohamud requiring ministers and senior government officials possessing Kenyan identification documents to surrender them or leave office.
The order was announced on July 30 after reports emerged that some senior Somali officials were travelling using Kenyan passports and national identity cards.
Haji's compliance makes him the first member of Somalia's Cabinet to publicly relinquish the documents under the presidential directive.
The development comes weeks after Haji was reportedly denied entry into Kenya through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) over claims surrounding the legitimacy of his Kenyan passport.
Immigration concerns strain Kenya-Somalia relations
The directive has renewed attention on longstanding allegations that some foreign nationals may have irregularly acquired Kenyan identification documents.
Kenyan immigration authorities have recently increased scrutiny of travel documents, with reports indicating that several Somali officials have either been denied entry or deported over documentation concerns.
However, Immigration and Citizens Services Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang has maintained that Kenyan passports and national identity cards are issued only to citizens, while eligible non-citizens receive alien identification documents.
The issue also featured in recent diplomatic discussions between Kenya and Somalia, with both governments agreeing to strengthen cooperation on immigration, consular affairs and cross-border movement.
Haji's decision to surrender the documents marks the first visible implementation of Somalia's directive as both countries work to address growing immigration concerns.
