A Somali man has been fined Ksh370,000 for fraudulently obtaining a Kenyan passport, a case that has exposed fresh gaps in the country’s immigration system.
The Somali national was ordered to pay the amount by the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Law Courts after admitting to three distinct charges tied to illegally staying in the country and possession of fake travel documents.
The matter began when immigration officials at JKIA flagged his documents and handed the case to detectives from Immigration and Citizen Services Investigations.
The fine was broken down into three sections: a Ksh150,000 fine for being in the country unlawfully without the required documents and another Ksh150,000 fine for falsifying identity to obtain Kenyan credentials on the passport.
A section of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA)
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KAA
The court says that the convict had no legal basis to hold these documents.
The last portion of the fine was Ksh70,000 for purposefully presenting an identity card with fraudulent entries with the malevolent intent to circumvent the system by tricking airport authorities.
The sentences came with prison terms in default.
The court also ordered that, in the event he pays the fines, he be deported to Somalia as the case closes.
His fraudulently acquired Kenyan passport will be surrendered to the Director General of Immigration Services (DGIS) for destruction, according to DCI.
Kenya’s passport rose five places in this year’s Henley Passport Index rankings to position 68, marking an improvement in its global standing and international travel access.
However, Kenya has faced scrutiny over issuing passports to South Sudanese nationals accused of crimes against humanity in El Fasher, amid mass displacement and a severe humanitarian crisis.
Meanwhile, President William Ruto has largely maintained public silence on the specific allegations in a leaked Directorate of Immigration Services document, while generally defending the government’s citizenship and identity reforms.
From Left: A photo collage of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan of the Sudanese Armed Forces, President William Ruto at an event in Nairobi and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo alias Hemeti at a press event in 2022.
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The National
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