Friday February 24, 2023
Mogadishu (HOL) - Somalia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has denied reports that it contracted a private company to handle visas for Somali citizens traveling to Kenya. In a letter sent to their Kenyan counterparts on Thursday, the Ministry urged the Kenyans to ignore any communication from unauthorized sources.
While acknowledging receipt of the letter concerning the movement of people between the two countries, the Ministry regretted that the contents of the letter were fraudulent and did not reflect the position of the Federal Government of Somalia. The government emphasized that it did not endorse any unauthorized entities or individuals who purported to facilitate visa applications on behalf of Somali citizens.
The Ministry also clarified that the Somali government expected the Kenyan government to implement the agreement on visa-on-arrival for Somali passport holders in line with the joint communique of July 15, 2022, and the previous agreement reached between the two countries.
The Ministry's response letter was prompted by a separate communication claiming to originate from the same office. The February 15 letter endorsed Global Tour and Travel Services, a Somalia-based company, as the sole entity entrusted with facilitating and submitting visa applications for Somali citizens traveling to Kenya.
According to a reliable source within the Federal Government, the letter was likely fabricated by the government's opposition, whose objective was to disrupt the military offensive against Al Shabaab and other ongoing initiatives.
As social media emerges as a primary source of news and information, the Somali government has experienced a surge in fake or fraudulent letters used in deceptive online campaigns.