Kenyan intelligence authorities on Sunday detained and subsequently deported Abshir Mohamed Ahmed, widely known as Abshir Bukhaari, over allegations of suspected terrorism financing.
Abshir Bukhaari, who serves as State Minister at the Office of the President in the government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, was travelling on a Somali diplomatic passport. However, security sources told Kaab TV that he also possesses a Kenyan passport, which authorities suspect was obtained illegally.
The sources, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said Bukhaari had arrived on a flight from Mogadishu carrying a bag containing an undisclosed amount of cash.
Following questioning by immigration officials and officers from Kenya’s Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU), Bukhaari was deported to Mogadishu.
According to Kenyan security officials, the cash he was carrying, combined with intelligence they had previously gathered, raised suspicions that the funds could have been intended for terrorism financing or money laundering.
Kenyan authorities have long maintained that terrorist groups channel significant amounts of money into Kenya, with some of the funds allegedly invested in real estate and illicit businesses to conceal their origin and launder proceeds linked to terrorism or other illegal activities.
Bukhaari is the second senior official from the government of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to be deported from Kenya.
At the end of last month, Kenya’s immigration authorities announced the deportation of Somali Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid Haji, who entered Kenya using a Somali diplomatic passport but was allegedly found to be in possession of another Kenyan passport that authorities believed to be fraudulent.
Jibril was detained overnight at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi before being deported to Mogadishu on Friday, 26 June 2026.
Kenya has recently intensified its crackdown on fraudulent identity documents, particularly Kenyan passports, which the government says have been illegally obtained by numerous individuals, many of them Somali nationals.
Kenyan media have also published evidence alleging that some people who are not Kenyan citizens had unlawfully acquired Kenyan passports.
Abshir Bukhaari has not responded to the allegations.
The Somali government has also yet to comment on Bukhaari’s deportation or the deportation of Deputy Prime Minister Jibril from Kenya last month.
These developments come as Somalia remains embroiled in a political crisis following the expiration of the mandates of the Federal Government institutions on 15 May 2026.
Armed clashes that erupted in Mogadishu in early June resulted in deaths, injuries, and the displacement of civilians.
Kenyan security sources also believe that some Somali political figures have been involved in organizing armed militias and fueling conflict in areas near the Kenya–Somalia border, raising concerns that the violence could spill over and threaten Kenya’s national security.