Somalia's Second Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid Haji has formally renounced his Kenyan citizenship and surrendered his Kenyan passport.
The move comes amid growing diplomatic tensions between Nairobi and Mogadishu 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, Jibril 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.
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.
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.
The ministers also questioned the legal basis of requiring them to surrender their Kenyan passports, arguing that no existing law bars dual citizens from serving in the Cabinet. Their objections highlighted divisions within the government over the implementation of the directive.
The disagreement has created uncertainty over how the order will be enforced and whether ministers who refuse to give up their Kenyan passports will remain in office. It also remains unclear how many members of the Cabinet are affected by the directive or whether additional ministers will follow Jibril's decision in the coming days.
Jibril has now become the first cabinet member to renounce his Kenyan citizenship since the President announced the new requirement.
