JKIA Law Courts Fine Somali National KSh370,000 for Illegal Stay and Passport Fraud

The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Law Courts imposed a total fine of KSh370,000 on Somali national Mohamud Mohammed Roble after he pleaded guilty to unlawful presence in Kenya and fraudulently obtaining Kenyan identity and passport documents.

The court split the penalty into KSh150,000 for being in the country without legal permission, KSh150,000 for making false declarations to secure a Kenyan passport, and KSh70,000 for knowingly presenting an identity card containing false entries.

The magistrate ordered that failure to pay each fine would trigger custodial sentences, and directed that Roble be repatriated to Somalia once the fines are settled, with his illegally obtained passport to be surrendered to the Director General of Immigration Services for destruction.

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Immigration and Citizen Services Investigations unit took over the case from immigration officials at JKIA, establishing that Roble had first obtained Kenyan registration documents and then used false declarations to acquire a Kenyan passport.

The DCI said the case underscores Kenya’s immigration controls, noting that Somali passport holders are excluded from the visa-free policy for African nationals and must obtain a visa or electronic travel authorisation, while also reminding that foreign nationals may apply for Kenyan citizenship if they meet constitutional and statutory requirements.

In a statement, the DCI reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the integrity of Kenya’s identity and travel documents and to working with relevant agencies to detect and prosecute similar fraudulent schemes.

The court’s decision comes as Kenya’s passport recently rose five places on the Henley Passport Index to 68th position, although the country has faced scrutiny over passport issuance to some South Sudanese nationals.