By Brian Kiprono - Reporter
3 August 2026 - Somalia's Second Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid Haji has formally renounced his Kenyan citizenship and surrendered his Kenyan passport, becoming the first senior government official to comply with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's directive requiring ministers holding foreign travel documents to choose between public office and dual nationality.
The move comes amid growing diplomatic tensions between Kenya and Somalia over the use of Kenyan passports by senior Somali officials and follows heightened scrutiny by Kenyan immigration authorities.
Speaking after surrendering the documents to the Kenyan Embassy in Mogadishu, Haji maintained that he had obtained the passport legally but said he chose to relinquish it in the interest of transparency.
"I decided to surrender the Kenyan passport, and I hope our Somali one will be enough for us," he said.
His decision follows President Mohamud's warning that ministers travelling on foreign passports and presenting themselves as foreign nationals risked losing their positions, arguing that Somalia could not defend officials who identified themselves as citizens of another country while serving in government.
According to government sources, the directive was issued during a Cabinet meeting in Mogadishu last week, with ministers and senior officials instructed to immediately surrender Kenyan passports and national identity cards or relinquish their government positions.
The order has sparked debate because Somalia's citizenship laws recognise dual citizenship, with some Cabinet members reportedly questioning the directive during the meeting.
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The passport controversy intensified after several senior Somali officials, including Haji and State Minister at the Presidency Abshir Bukhaari, were reportedly denied entry into Kenya in recent months after immigration officials questioned the validity of the Kenyan travel documents they were carrying.
Kenyan authorities are also investigating allegations that Haji's Kenyan passport and birth certificate were obtained irregularly. However, the Deputy Prime Minister has denied any wrongdoing, insisting the documents were acquired lawfully and that his decision to return them was voluntary.
The incidents have strained diplomatic relations between Nairobi and Mogadishu, with Somalia reportedly summoning Kenya's ambassador to seek an explanation over the treatment of its officials, although Kenya has not publicly confirmed the meeting.
The latest development underscores growing efforts by both governments to tighten scrutiny over citizenship and travel documentation, as questions over dual nationality and the integrity of official documents continue to shape relations between the two neighbouring countries.