NAIROBI – Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Jibril Abdirashid Haji, was denied entry into Kenya and subsequently deported on Thursday after immigration officials raised questions about a Kenyan passport allegedly in his possession.

According to local News Papers, the incident occurred on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at Terminal 2 of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi. Haji, who arrived on a Saacid Airlines flight from Mogadishu, presented a valid Somali diplomatic passport and visa upon arrival. However, immigration officers reportedly flagged him after receiving information that he was also carrying a Kenyan passport believed to have been obtained fraudulently.

According to a police report cited by local media, the Deputy Prime Minister acknowledged possessing the Kenyan passport but declined to surrender it to the authorities, insisting that any dispute over the document should be resolved through a court process.

Detention and Deportation

Following the disagreement, Haji was held at the JKIA VIP Lounge while senior immigration officials conducted further checks on his travel documents. He was later escorted onto a Daallo Airlines flight back to Mogadishu on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at 6:45 a.m., effectively denying him entry into Kenya.

A senior official at Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the deportation, stating that it occurred “with no incident reported”. As of Friday, neither the Kenyan nor Somali governments had issued an official public statement on the incident.

Broader Context and Diplomatic Implications

The incident comes amid growing concerns in Kenya about the alleged acquisition of Kenyan passports by foreign nationals through corrupt networks. It also follows a high-level meeting between Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Kenyan President William Ruto on Sunday, June 21, at Ruto’s private farm in Narok county, where the two leaders discussed regional security, trade, and peacekeeping operations.

The deportation could trigger a fresh diplomatic dispute between the two neighboring countries, which have recently sought to strengthen their partnership. Somalia and Kenya reaffirmed their strategic partnership in Nairobi talks earlier this year, focusing on advancing key priorities within the bilateral framework. The incident also comes amid broader regional challenges, including the recent European Union’s imposition of stricter visa measures on Somali citizens, citing insufficient cooperation on readmission.

Official Silence and Way Forward

As of now, the Somali government has not commented on the incident involving its Deputy Prime Minister, who has previously held several high-profile roles, including serving as the interim head of Southwest State and presiding over graduation ceremonies for elite Gorgor forces.

Kenyan authorities are reportedly investigating the alleged illegal acquisition of Kenyan passports through corrupt networks, a problem that has been a persistent challenge for the country’s registration system.

The incident is likely to generate diplomatic discussions between Mogadishu and Nairobi, as both governments navigate the implications of the deportation and the underlying issues of document fraud and cross-border security.