Andrew WasikeTuesday July 28, 2026
Somali state minister’s deportation follows the earlier removal of a deputy prime minister, prompting Mogadishu to summon Kenya’s ambassador
Kenya and Somalia are facing renewed diplomatic friction after Kenyan authorities allegedly refused entry to another high-ranking Somali official on Monday, just days after deporting the country’s second deputy prime minister amid a dispute over a passport.
Abshir Bukhaari, Somalia’s state minister at the presidency, was reportedly turned away after landing at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on Monday. Kenyan immigration officials allegedly questioned him about a Kenyan passport he was carrying before placing him on a flight back to Mogadishu. Neither government has formally addressed the incident.
The removal occurred less than a month after Somalia’s Second Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid Haji was barred from entering Kenya over claims that he had fraudulently acquired a Kenyan passport. Kenyan authorities said Haji arrived with a Somali diplomatic passport and a valid visa but refused to hand over the Kenyan document when questioned. He was subsequently returned to Mogadishu.
The latest case has widened the disagreement into a diplomatic row. Somali media reported that the Foreign Ministry summoned Kenya’s ambassador in Mogadishu to demand an explanation for the treatment of senior Somali officials, although Kenyan authorities have not publicly confirmed the meeting.
The two incidents have also intensified scrutiny of how senior Somali officials allegedly obtained Kenyan travel documents, as Kenyan authorities investigate possible irregularities in the passport issuance process.
Kenya and Somalia had generally strengthened relations in recent years after earlier diplomatic disputes involving maritime boundaries and regional security. The neighboring countries work closely in the campaign against the al-Shabaab militant group, while Kenya is home to a large Somali diaspora and continues to rank among Somalia’s key trading partners.
