Saturday August 1, 2026
Mogadishu (AX) — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has ordered cabinet ministers and senior officials who hold Kenyan passports or national identity cards to hand over the documents without delay.
Government sources familiar with the discussions said the directive was delivered during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Mohamud in Mogadishu on Thursday.
Officials affected by the order must choose between remaining in government and retaining their Kenyan passports or identification documents, according to the sources.
The instruction has prompted questions because Somalia’s citizenship laws permit dual nationality. Several ministers reportedly challenged the order, citing the legal provisions that allow Somali citizens to hold citizenship in another country.
The directive follows the recent denial of entry to Somalia’s State Minister Abshir Bukhaari and Second Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid Haji when they arrived at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). Kenyan immigration officials reportedly questioned the travel documents carried by the two officials.
The airport incident has added to diplomatic friction between the neighboring countries. Somali media reported that Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Kenya’s ambassador in Mogadishu to request an explanation for the treatment of the senior officials, although Kenyan authorities have not publicly confirmed that the meeting occurred.
The denied entry has also drawn fresh attention to reports that senior Somali officials obtained Kenyan passports and national identity cards. Kenyan authorities are reportedly examining possible irregularities in how the documents were issued.
People familiar with the matter said about 30 Somali government officials have been placed on a watchlist at Kenyan airports, and that several have been refused entry in recent weeks. Neither government has publicly acknowledged the existence of such a list.
Somalia and Kenya have largely repaired relations in recent years following earlier disputes over maritime boundaries and regional security. The neighbors continue to work together on counterterrorism operations against al-Shabab, while Kenya remains among Somalia’s biggest trading partners and is home to a substantial Somali diaspora.
