The Chief Magistrate’s Court at Milimani has granted bond to a man under investigation over allegations of fraudulently acquiring a Kenyan passport after rejecting an application by the Directorate of Immigration Services to detain him for five days to allow completion of investigations.
The Directorate of Immigration Services, through the investigating officer, had moved the court seeking orders to detain Abdirahman Mohamud Jama at Kilimani Police Station for five days pending investigations into alleged offences related to obtaining a Kenyan passport through false declaration and unlawfully being present in Kenya.
According to court documents, investigators alleged that the respondent was arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on July 18, 2026, upon his arrival from Mogadishu, Somalia, by an immigration officer on duty.
The investigating officer further told the court that checks through the Border Management System established that the respondent had previously travelled using a Somali passport. Investigators also alleged that the suspect was in possession of Kenyan passport number AK183721, which they believe was fraudulently acquired.
The Directorate informed the court that it was in communication with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Somalia through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to verify the authenticity of the Somali passport recovered from the respondent. It also argued that further investigations were required to establish the respondent’s place of birth in Modoogashe, Lagdera District and determine his identity.
The prosecution maintained that the investigations were complex and involved inquiries in a neighbouring country, adding that releasing the respondent could interfere with the passport verification process being undertaken with the Somali Embassy.
However, the defence opposed the application, arguing that ongoing investigations did not justify detaining the respondent. Defence counsel submitted that the respondent was not a flight risk since the investigating officer had already seized his travel documents, including the Kenyan passport in question.
After considering the application, the court declined to remand the respondent for the five days sought by investigators.
Instead, the court released him on a bond of Ksh100,000 or an alternative cash bail of Ksh50,000, on condition that he surrenders the original Kenyan passport to the investigating officer and reports daily to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) for the next three days.
The matter is scheduled for further directions on July 24, 2026.
