Kenyan Customs officers and three exploitable Somali prey

[Yunis]

This experience might have been exasperated by the Kenya’s incursion, and regardless how much I was prepared for all the warning I received before departing my for trip to Nairobi, the crude reality was bit more than I bargain for. There is definitely a gradual hysteria floating in the air in Nairobi now, not between Somalis towards Kenyan people yet but Kenyan authorities towards Somalis. On Last Sunday there was - yours truly Yunis, Shukri and Jamal all destine to cross path at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi and none of us knew the other prior to our landing there.

 

On my way I was in transit at Heathrow for few hours, I met a very engaging, delightful and inspiring Kenyan girl (a nursing student) who flew from Dallas/Arlington area. On board we were able to swap seats with others, to ease the long, boring flight, while chatting she showed me two passports, a US and her own Kenyan passport. And she ask guess which one I’ll use to enter into Kenya? Which I reply of course I replied Kenyan passport your birth Country; she laughed and said you have no idea how much hustle I’ll go through with it. She said Just flashing the Uncle Sam passport will only trigger visa fee, a nod and “karibu tena” or welcome back. Whirl her own Kenyan passport will surely result a long grueling inquires and bribing of kenyan customs officers. The only reason she carried the Kenyan password she said was simply as an ID card while visiting her ill father in the kisumu plains at the North-west about 12 hours from Nairobi. She was also carrying the Kenyan passport as back up document if she loses her US passport. To simply test the water, I made the decision to NOT give in and offer out any bribes and also to keep my composure at all times regardless of what ever treatment I received.

 

As we got off, every one quickly formed their visa queue. Before I could even absorb my surroundings, I was blindsided by two Kenyan Customs officers who ask if I wanted to avoid this unnecessary long line and obtain my visa at another side of the terminal. The Kenyan girl in front me, who I befriended during our trip joked “they must like the Somali face you were wearing”. I politely declined their offer and said I would prefer the long line.

 

From the front of the queue, there was a Somali girl (which I would later find out her name was Shukri). Soon after Shukri was called at the Customs visa kiosk, a long argument between Shukri and customs officers ensued which none it I could hear, because I was so far behind the queue. She was whisked away by two customs officers; I’ll go back to Shukri’s ordeal in a sec, but I’ll complete on how my own drama ended that night.

 

As my turn began to face those hostile kukuyu officers, the questioning started with the standard customs of how long the stay is, why the visit..etc…but things began to deteriorate when a heavy set, scrappy looking customs lady ask the other officers serving for me to swap with the European guy she was servicing. At the point I am thinking, its gone be a long night. She quickly made a big fess about why my there was no visa’s on my passport. Which I earnestly explained to her I have not travelled outside of North America for the last decade, and no visa is required within North America. She asked if I am travelling to be member of al-shabaab…and how all Somalis is threat to her country. I do remember asking her, what about Somali Kenyans are they threat to Kenya. She proclaimed “you’ all the same. Whenever I was agitated with her intrusive questions and ****** inquires, how ****** she sounds by raising my tone and demanding to speak the management…another kukuyu officer not far away would be right there to play a good cop and try to defuse the situation by saying its almost over we are gona let you in soon and how I am a ‘al shabaab’ type a look like….

 

Mind you - We landed in Nairobi around 8pm, and by this time it was well beyond the 1 am mark. All the visitors and passengers were serviced and all queues completed. Eventually, I decided to stop answering any question that I felt was out of line for processing a visa or was ethnically derogatory and started to take notes of my own. Which they finally relented, they then started to process my visa.

 

Matter of fact, It was this point when I heard literally someone crying behind me, I looked back and it was Shukri. The girl who was earlier moved by customs towards their back room offices. She was weeping, I ask walaal maxaa dhacay?. She said they confiscated her British passport, tool her to a private room for interrogation and threaten to send her back to UK. I told her to relax, I’ll check if I can talk to them….hopeless helper – after what I have gone thru myself…

 

I’ll finish the sister’s ordeal soon as I get a chance and post few pics from dirt streets of eastleigh….a place that shocked me first, but I got the hang of it now.

[Yunis]

As Shukri continues to weep the situation now became more precarious, I was left with no choice but to ask for favor on Shukri’s behalf the same pathetic, incompetent Kenyan Customs officers who a few minutes ago used all sorts of disparaging remarks towards Somalis while harassing me. During their initial harassment of me, there was one customs officer who wasn’t involved and was standing on the side.

 

Seeking sympathy I walked up to this officer and ask him I could help this sister’s ordeal. After consulting with other officers all speaking their own version of kswahili, hard to believe but they claimed Shukri insulted them, called them ignorant and uncivilized people. At some point one customs lady said if I could get Shukri from the room that she was getting interrogated, we could work something out. Through my own naivete of thinking it was that simple - I went into their office corridors and found shukri sitting across two officers in a small office. Open the door, and asks them if we can work something out if shukri would apologize. The sister then vehemently denied calling names to any one, and said it was them who kept on provoking her.

 

After few back and forth arguing of who said what – one of the officer’s jump out of his chair and asked for my passport. Looked at it, and announce I have only two choices, either walk away now or they will remove the visa and hold me there. That was the low point of the night – but as I walked out of that room, I did yet out to Shukri “walaal lacag sii……”

 

Returning to the customs officer who sent me to get Shukri from the management office for additional help simply resulted more runaround, back to Somalis are nothing but trouble and their final excuse was that the officers in the back room have more authority and if they say no. it means no. That was it, she was locked up in that room and i was gone..

 

Finally there was Jamal, a tall, slinder, and a brash NGO worker. he was a friend of a the cuzn who was picking me up at the Airport. The cuzn was there to pick both me and Jamal who flew from Xamar to Nairobi. Jamal is what they call a UN ‘Implementor’.

 

He has spent last past 8 months distributing goods thru drought stricken regions of Gedo. Juba’s, Xamar and Mudug among others places. On the ride from airport to the hotel, Jamal’s blackberry was ringing off the hook (even at this late in the night), he would switch from Somali, English and Arabic to what I assumed were the donors he works with. Never had had a high regard for UN or NGO workers, they all tend to build their careers on the misery and suffering of others, but this guy seemed to be driven to care.

 

He wore one of those matching Dickies khaki pant & vests mostly wore by reporters working out off International host spots. When I told them why they had to wait for me over 5 hours to obtain an entry visa, and what happen to Shukri.

Jamal said welcome to my world for the past few weeks in-out of Nairobi. He said almost every plane out of Somalia destine to Kenya must first land in Wajeer. A complete luggage and passenger check-ups are done in wajeer for every single plain from Somalia. On the previous night he spend in Wajeer, they made him miss his initial plane, his American passport didn’t mean much to them. Not sure if he was exaggerating, but he said they even told him to clean his S#^ with his UN issued special NGO ID card. Jamal was no longer a high flying International NGO worker as far as Kenyan authorities were concern.

 

As for the locals - It’s not a panic yet, but hysteria is creeping in the air. The local news media are playing the fear card to the average Kenyans who are extremely hospitable pll. Some news papers mainly the Standard paper but also, daily nation and others are really ratchining up pressure for authorities to clamp down on Somalis now since attacks on Kenyan soil seems to be getting more frequent.

[burahadeer]

I first read this 24 hrs ago & surprised how no one cared to even put one post.Welcome to SOL...we would have atleast 30 posts by now if it was a story about qabiil or the LANDS .Very sad! back to the topic, I think somalis need to go thru that in many more years till they realize that they have a place called home....know it's painful but what on earth can anyone do when the likes of shabab sending 100,000s across the border when it at last seemed some kind o normality about to prevail.

[Juxa]

It is very sad how somalis are dealt with in Kenya, although they have thought the kenyans the whole bribe thing

[Valenteenah.]

That's awful. Everyone seems to have a tale to tell about Kenyan customs, but this does seem extreme. Why invade a country if you can't hack it, consequently instilling fear in your own population?

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Immigration officers in Kenya waa lagu yaqaan against Soomaalida. I don't blame them, I blame ourselves. Anagaa isku keenay saan in naloogu dhaqmo. Waa meel walba, some are just worse. Things like this happen in Ugandan airports, too. It used to be easier for Soomaalida there, no longer now. The Ugandan customs sometimes are worse than those that man Jomo Kenyatta airport. Dowlad noo doodeyso maleh, dal free, bilaa qash qashaad ku galeynana aan booqano maleh. We are the new Gypsies. We made ourselves to be that so.

 

I hope gabadhaas Shukri la dhaho inay sii daayeen. Beentooda waaye baasaboorka kama qaadi karaan. I think Kenya ku cusbeyd, oo hadda ugu horeysay. La iskuma waal waalo, tartiib loola hadlaa lee. Inay Soomaalida qash qashaan wey jecelyihiin and it is worse markii la dhoofaayo. You will see it when you go back.

 

Qofka hadduunan garaneynin dabeecadda Kenyan customs cabsi weyn ku soo dageyso. They like that, that fear they cause against innocent Soomaalida. Inay dhibaan oo ka walwalsiyaan Soomaalida ayee jecelyihiin. I also realized they are secretly jealous of Soomaalida, jealous because of Soomaalida having Western passports and meel walba ka dagaan, aadaana. They also believe those same Soomaali with Western passports are darn rich. They sometimes say into your face so, so unprofessional way waliba.

 

I especially remember a cousin of mine who visited there in this past summer. She and her four children ayee ahaayeen. That same month, the visa fee was changed from $25 to $50. So they asked her to pay $250 for visa, including the children's visa fees. When she asked if the children don't have fee-waiving visa, they told her even if it was that case, why would it bother her. You 'people' are rich ayee dhaheen. 'People,' of course, meaning Soomaalida baasaboorka Reer Galbeedka wato.

[burahadeer]

It's not that bad if they only want few $ specially from somalis coming from europe/america,they can afford that.I thought it was some kind o pure hate....relaxed now!

[Abdul]

It becomes hate when they pick on you,consificate your passport and hold you for hours and sometimes for days just because you are somali.

[burahadeer]

you right,curse bestowed on the self destruct!