Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid Haji has voluntarily returned his Kenyan passport.
In a statement on Monday, August 3, Haji said he handed over the passport to Kenya’s Deputy Ambassador to Somalia, Elias Bare Shill.
Haji explained that his decision was a personal choice aimed at demonstrating his commitment to his official responsibilities as a member of Somalia’s federal government.
“This step reflects my commitment to protecting the integrity of the office I hold and my loyalty to the Federal Republic of Somalia,” he said.
The Somali Deputy PM also stressed that the passport was genuine, lawfully obtained, and issued in full compliance with the relevant laws and procedures.
“The passport was genuine and lawfully obtained, and its use fully complied with Kenyan laws and procedures,” he said.
Haji becomes the first Somali senior government official to comply with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s directive requiring ministers holding foreign travel documents to surrender them.
Mohamud issued the directive 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.
This comes weeks after Haji was denied entry into Kenya at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
According to Kenyan immigration officials, the Deputy Prime Minister entered the country using a valid Somali diplomatic passport and visa but was suspected of also holding a Kenyan passport.
The authorities claimed that Haji was asked to surrender the Kenyan passport but declined, insisting that he would only hand it over through a court process. He was later deported back to Mogadishu.
“He admitted, and when asked to produce the passport, he declined to surrender and claimed that he could only produce it in a court of law,” the report stated.
