MOGADISHU, Somalia , Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister has formally surrendered his Kenyan passport and national identification documents to officials at the Kenyan Embassy in Mogadishu, in line with a directive issued by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
The move comes after the President instructed senior Somali government officials holding foreign passports to relinquish them, emphasizing that top state officials should demonstrate exclusive allegiance to Somalia while serving in office.
According to government sources, the directive followed two recent diplomatic incidents involving Kenyan authorities. The incidents reportedly affected Somali officials who were traveling on Somali diplomatic passports while also holding Kenyan citizenship and passports, raising concerns over diplomatic status and national representation.
Officials said the decision is intended to strengthen the integrity of Somalia’s state institutions and reinforce the principle that senior government leaders should owe sole political and legal loyalty to the Somali state.
The Deputy Prime Minister’s decision to return his Kenyan travel documents is viewed as the first high profile implementation of the presidential directive, signaling the government’s commitment to enforcing the new policy.
The Somali government has not yet announced whether similar measures will be applied to other senior officials who possess foreign citizenship or passports, but the directive is expected to have wider implications across the country’s political leadership.
