A Somali national has denied four charges of fraudulently acquiring and using Kenyan identity documents. He appeared before the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Law Courts on Thursday. The Eastleigh Voice named him as Khalid Ali Tahir.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), he was arrested at JKIA on October 27 as he tried to leave for Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Detectives from the Immigration and Citizen Services investigations unit then built the case against him, The Star reported.
He faces four counts. The first is being unlawfully present in Kenya. The second is knowingly presenting an identity card with false entries to deceive. The other two are making false declarations to obtain a Kenyan passport and a Kenyan temporary permit.
The court released him on a Sh400,000 bond. Two Kenyan contact persons must each bring a letter from their area chief. He must also surrender any passport he holds, and the court placed a stop order on the documents. The DCI said it remains committed to protecting the integrity of Kenya's identity documents.
The case follows a similar one at the same court about a month ago. Another Somali national pleaded guilty to unlawful presence in Kenya and fraudulently obtaining Kenyan identity and passport documents. The Star and Kenyans.co.ke put his fine at Sh370,000. The Eastleigh Voice reported Sh350,000 and named him as Mohamud Mohammed Roble. The court ordered his repatriation to Somalia once he pays.
The Star noted that Somalia is excluded from Kenya's visa-free policy for African nationals. Somali passport holders face referred-visa requirements, which need approval from the Director of Immigration Services. Foreigners can still apply for Kenyan citizenship by registration, for example after seven years of lawful residence or seven years of marriage to a Kenyan.
Kenyans.co.ke linked the prosecution to wider tensions between the two countries. It reported that Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud ordered officials holding Kenyan passports and IDs to surrender them in July 2026. Foreign Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi and Somalia's Foreign Minister Abdisalam Ali later held talks in Addis Ababa on immigration concerns.