Tuesday July 28, 2026
Addis Ababa (AX) — Somalia and Kenya’s top diplomats held talks Tuesday on the sidelines of the African Union’s 49th Executive Council session in Addis Ababa, one day after Somali State Minister Abshir Bukhaari was reportedly refused entry to Kenya and returned to Mogadishu.
Somali Foreign Affairs Minister Abdisalam Ali met Musalia W. Mudavadi, Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, for bilateral consultations.
The ministers reviewed recent immigration-related developments and agreed to improve coordination on consular matters and the movement of people between the two countries.
Both governments also renewed their commitment to deepening bilateral ties in areas considered vital to regional stability.
The talks followed a decision by Somalia’s federal government to summon Kenya’s ambassador Monday after reports that Bukhaari had been denied entry at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.
Kenyan immigration authorities reportedly refused to admit the Somali official Sunday and placed him on a flight back to Mogadishu.
According to local media reports, questions surrounding a Kenyan passport Bukhaari was allegedly carrying prompted the decision.
Neither government has publicly confirmed the reported details, and the precise circumstances involving the document remain officially undisclosed.
The episode follows a similar case about a month earlier, when Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid Haji was denied entry to Kenya amid allegations that he had fraudulently acquired a Kenyan passport.
Neither foreign minister said publicly whether Tuesday’s discussions specifically addressed the reported entry denials involving the Somali officials.
Somalia and Kenya share a complicated diplomatic relationship, balancing close cooperation on trade and security with recurring strains over immigration, border security and regional politics.
