Kenya Deports Somali State Minister Over Alleged Passport Fraud

Kenyan immigration and counter‑terrorism officials detained and deported Somali State Minister at the Presidency, Abshir Mohamed Ahmed (also known as Abshir Bukhari), after questioning a Kenyan passport he allegedly possessed. The minister had arrived in Nairobi from Mogadishu on a Somali diplomatic passport; authorities claimed the Kenyan document might be fraudulent and hinted at possible links to terrorism financing.

The incident follows a similar deportation a month earlier of Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Jibril Abdirashid Haji, over the same passport‑fraud allegations. Kenya has recently intensified its crackdown on forged identity documents, especially Kenyan passports used by foreign nationals. Somalia has summoned the Kenyan ambassador for clarification, raising diplomatic tensions between the neighbouring countries. Neither government has issued an official comment on the latest deportation.