Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has ordered cabinet ministers and senior government officials holding Kenyan passports or national identity cards to surrender the documents immediately, escalating a diplomatic row that has strained relations between Mogadishu and Nairobi.

The directive, issued during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, places affected officials before a stark choice: retain their positions in government or keep their Kenyan travel and identity documents.

According to reports from Somalia, the order extends beyond cabinet ministers to include other government officials found to possess Kenyan identification documents.

The move has reportedly exposed divisions within the Somali government. Some ministers are said to have objected to the directive, arguing that Somalia's legal framework permits dual citizenship and that the order could unfairly affect officials with legitimate dual nationality.

The latest decision comes amid heightened scrutiny of travel documents used by Somali officials entering Kenya.

Reports indicate that Somalia's State Minister Abshir Bukhaari and Second Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid Haji were recently denied entry into Kenya at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport after questions were raised over the travel documents they were allegedly using.

There have also been reports that Kenyan immigration authorities have intensified checks on Somali government officials travelling with Kenyan passports. According to Somali media reports, around 30 officials have been placed on a watchlist, with several reportedly denied entry into Kenya in recent weeks.

Neither the Kenyan government nor immigration authorities have publicly confirmed the existence of such a watchlist.

The dispute prompted high-level diplomatic engagement earlier this week. On Wednesday, Kenya's Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi met Somalia's Foreign Minister Abdisalam Ali in Addis Ababa, where the two sides discussed immigration concerns and broader bilateral relations.

Following the meeting, both governments agreed to strengthen cooperation on consular affairs and work towards facilitating smoother cross-border movement for citizens and government officials.

The controversy has also revived debate over long-standing claims that some foreign nationals have improperly acquired Kenyan identity documents.

Kenyan authorities have consistently denied those allegations. Immigration Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang has maintained that non-citizens legally residing in Kenya are issued with alien identification cards rather than Kenyan national identity cards.

The developments mark the latest test for relations between the neighbouring countries, whose close economic, security and diplomatic ties have periodically been complicated by cross-border immigration and citizenship concerns.