Kenya has deported Somalia’s Second Deputy Prime Minister, Jibril Abdirashid Haji, after immigration authorities accused him of possessing a Kenyan passport believed to have been obtained fraudulently, in an unusual incident that could test relations between two neighbouring countries with deep security and economic ties.
According to a Kenyan police report, Haji arrived at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Wednesday using his Somali diplomatic passport, which carried a valid Kenyan visa.
However, an immigration inspection allegedly linked him to a Kenyan passport that authorities suspect was acquired through fraudulent means.
Officials said Haji was questioned over the document but declined to hand it over, insisting he would only produce it before a court of law.
Following the interrogation, Kenyan authorities held the senior Somali official in the airport’s VIP lounge before placing him on a return flight to Mogadishu early on Thursday.
