Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid Haji was reportedly deported from Kenya after immigration officials questioned his alleged possession of a fraudulently obtained Kenyan passport, according to police reports
NAIROBI, Kenya — Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid Haji was reportedly denied entry into Kenya and deported to Mogadishu after immigration authorities questioned his alleged possession of a Kenyan passport believed to have been fraudulently obtained, according to a police incident report and Kenyan media accounts.
The incident occurred at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), where Haji arrived from Mogadishu aboard a Saacid Airlines flight on June 24.
According to a police report filed at JKIA Police Station, the Somali official presented a valid Somali diplomatic passport, valid until September 2029, together with an entry visa during routine immigration clearance.
Immigration officers allegedly became suspicious after receiving information that the deputy prime minister was also in possession of a Kenyan passport believed to have been acquired through fraudulent means.
The incident report states that when questioned, Haji acknowledged possessing the Kenyan passport but declined to surrender it to immigration officials.
“He admitted and when asked to produce the passport, he declined to surrender and claimed that he can only produce it in a court of law,” the police report states.
Authorities subsequently escorted the Somali official to the VIP Lounge at Terminal 2 while senior immigration officers conducted additional inquiries.
According to the report, Haji was later issued a Daallo Airlines ticket and departed Nairobi for Mogadishu at approximately 6:45 a.m. on June 25 without incident.
Neither the Somali government nor Kenyan immigration authorities had publicly released a detailed official statement on the incident at the time of publication. Kenyan media, citing officials familiar with the matter, reported that the deputy prime minister was denied entry into the country following the immigration inquiry.
Investigation focuses on alleged passport fraud
The reported deportation comes as Kenyan authorities continue investigating allegations of corruption within the country’s immigration and civil registration systems.
According to local media reports, investigators are examining networks allegedly involved in illegally obtaining Kenyan identity documents for foreign nationals through corrupt officials and intermediaries.
Recent investigative reports have alleged that criminal syndicates operating within Kenya‘s Immigration Department and National Registration Bureau have facilitated the fraudulent issuance of national identity cards, birth certificates and passports by circumventing biometric verification procedures in exchange for bribes.
Authorities have not publicly linked Haji to those broader investigations beyond the allegations contained in the airport incident report.
Incident follows high-level Kenya-Somalia meeting
The reported deportation occurred only days after Kenyan President William Ruto hosted Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud at his private residence in Kilgoris, Narok County.
The two leaders discussed regional security cooperation, trade, and the future of peace support operations in the Horn of Africa during the high-level meeting.
The timing of the immigration incident has drawn attention because of the close diplomatic engagement between Nairobi and Mogadishu, although neither government has suggested any connection between the bilateral meeting and the deputy prime minister’s reported deportation.
The reported case also comes amid growing political scrutiny in Kenya over the integrity of the country’s civil registration and immigration systems.
Opposition leaders and anti-corruption advocates have warned that weaknesses in document issuance procedures could pose risks to national security and undermine confidence in Kenya’s public records ahead of the country’s 2027 general election.
As of publication, there has been no public indication that criminal charges have been filed against Haji in Kenya, and the allegations contained in the police report have not been tested in court.
