Somalia’s State Minister at the Presidency, Abshir Bukhaari, was reportedly denied entry into Kenya by immigration officials upon his arrival at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Sunday.
The Somali minister was later deported back to Mogadishu by the Kenyan authorities.
Reports indicate that Bukhaari was blocked from entering Kenya over the travel documents he was carrying. He allegedly presented a Kenyan passport at immigration. Bukhari was also carrying a bag containing a large amount of undisclosed cash.
However, neither the Kenyan nor the Somali government has issued a statement on the incident or the reasons behind the decision.
Bukhaari previously served as the First Deputy Speaker of Somalia’s Senate before joining the presidency as a state minister.
Meanwhile, Somalia has summoned Kenya’s ambassador to Mogadishu for consultations following the deportation of Bukhaari.
Notably, the incident comes weeks after Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Jibril Abdirashid Haji, was also reportedly denied entry into Kenya.
Haji was deported by the Kenyan authorities over allegations that he possessed a fraudulently acquired Kenyan passport.
The Somali Deputy Prime Minister had presented a valid Somali diplomatic passport and an entry visa upon arrival.
However, immigration officers allegedly flagged him after suspecting that he was also in possession of a Kenyan passport believed to have been obtained fraudulently.
Haji allegedly admitted to possessing a Kenyan passport but declined to surrender it, arguing that the matter should be resolved through the courts.
The Somali Deputy Prime Minister was detained at the JKIA VIP Lounge before being escorted onto a Daallo Airlines flight bound for Mogadishu.
The two incidents will potentially deepen diplomatic tensions between the two East African neighbours.
Abshir Bukhaari
