Kenya deports Somali deputy prime minister days after President Mohamud returns from Kenya
Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid Haji was reportedly denied entry into Kenya and deported from Nairobi over allegations involving a Kenyan passport.
Nairobi (Somali Report) — Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid Haji was reportedly denied entry into Kenya and deported from Nairobi after immigration officers raised questions over allegations that he had fraudulently obtained a Kenyan passport, sources said.
The incident occurred Wednesday evening at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, where Haji arrived on a Saacid Airlines flight from Mogadishu, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Immigration officials said Haji presented a valid Somali diplomatic passport and Kenyan entry visa upon arrival. But officers allegedly flagged him after suspecting he was also in possession of a Kenyan passport believed to have been improperly acquired.
Sources said the Somali official acknowledged having the Kenyan passport but refused to surrender it to immigration authorities. He reportedly insisted that any dispute over the document should be handled through a court process.
Senior immigration officials later held Haji at the airport’s VIP lounge while they reviewed his travel documents, the sources said. He was later escorted onto a Daallo Airlines flight bound for Mogadishu, effectively denying him entry into Kenya.
Neither the Kenyan nor Somali governments had issued an official public statement on the incident by the time of publication. However, a senior official at Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Haji had been deported.
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A police report on the incident said Haji departed Kenya on June 25, 2026, at 6:45 a.m., “with no incident reported.”
The reported deportation could create fresh diplomatic tension between Kenya and Somalia, two neighboring countries whose relations have often been shaped by security cooperation, trade, immigration issues and disputes over sovereignty.
The incident came during the same week that Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was in Kenya for talks with President William Ruto. The two leaders have sought to strengthen relations after years of periodic strains between Nairobi and Mogadishu.
Kenya hosts a large Somali community and remains one of Somalia’s most important regional partners. The two countries cooperate on counterterrorism, border security and regional diplomacy, but past disputes have included maritime claims, border management and the treatment of Somali officials and citizens traveling through Kenya.
It was not immediately clear whether Somalia would file a formal protest or whether Kenyan authorities would pursue further legal or administrative action over the alleged passport matter.
The lack of official statements from both governments left key questions unanswered, including the basis of the passport allegation, whether Haji faces any formal proceedings in Kenya and whether the incident was discussed during high-level talks between the two governments.
About the Author
Osman Hassan is a Senior Editor at the Somali Report based in Nairobi with over 15 years of experience in journalism. He has worked with local and international media outlets in Somalia and is an award-winning journalist. His reporting focuses on politics, security, and regional affairs in the Horn of Africa.