A deep diplomatic chill gripped East Africa on Monday as passport disputes cast a long shadow over Nairobi and Mogadishu.
Kenyan immigration officials reportedly denied entry to Somalia’s presidential state minister, Abshir Bukhaari, at the capital city’s main airport.
Authorities swiftly put the senior minister on a return flight following intense questioning over a contested Kenyan travel document.
This rapid deportation follows the recent, high-profile removal of Somalia’s second deputy prime minister under remarkably similar circumstances.
Mogadishu reacted with quiet fury, summoning Kenya’s ambassador to demand an urgent, formal explanation for the recent airport incidents.
The dramatic back-to-back rejections have suddenly forced a serious investigation into how top Somali leaders obtained Kenyan passports.
Both nations now face a delicate diplomatic test, threatening to unravel years of carefully built cooperation against regional militants.