A spy at the centre of the brawl between Somalia's President Mohammed Farmajo and Prime Minister Mohamed Roble is a holder of a Kenyan National Identity Card (ID).
The life of Fahad Yassin Haji Dahir would rival the stories in many Hollywood blockbuster movies. Although suspected to be a dual citizen of Kenya and Somalia, he has often been described as the most powerful man in Mogadishu.
On Tuesday, September 7, he was reinstated by President Farmaajo as the director of Somalia's National Intelligence Security Agency (NISA) days after being dismissed by Roble.
Yasin had been dismissed by the Premier over the mysterious death of a NISA officer.
In a statement released by the Somalia Head of State, the president reinstated the former Minister for Ports and Marine Transport and termed the move to suspend him as illegal and unconstitutional. He further instructed him to remain serving as the leader of NISA.
However, this is not the first time that the top level spy has rubbed off the wrong way with other Somalia top dogs. In 2018, authorities from the troubled country investigations to probe the legitimacy of his citizenship.
The investigations came about after Yassin was found in possession of a Kenyan ID as well as a passport, prompting various individuals to question how a senior government official would have documentation from another country.
Then a Deputy Director of NISA, Yassin was found with a Kenyan ID card No, 2847167 and a Kenyan passport bearing the number C024542.
He claimed to have been born in Mandera on July 19, 1978, contrary to the information on his Somalia ID card which indicates that he was born in Mesha Dhalashada in Somalia.
Kenya's then Director of Immigration Services Alexander Muteshi confirmed the matter, giving a possible reason or the occurrence. He explained that Yasin may have acquired the documents as a refugee when Somali nationals migrated into Kenya in the 1990s.
"The majority of these people flocked into the country and ended up acquiring Kenyan citizenship," Muteshi stated.
Although it remains unclear where he was born, Yassin and his stepmother moved to Kenya in the 1990s fleeing conflict in Somalia. He then moved back to Somalia, where he grew up in a strict religious household.
He travelled abroad to further his education in Islamic studies before returning back to Somalia in 2005. He then joined Al Jazeera as a reporter, covering stories on terrorism. Using his Kenyan passport, he was able to travel around the world, making friends in Qatar.
Yassin returned to Somalia and was appointed the Minister of Ports and Marine Transport of Somalia in 2015 by former Prime Minister Omar Sharmarke. Loaded with Qatar currency, he channelled money to Farmaajo's presidential campaigns and won the elections
As a reward, the president-elect appointed the Chief of Staff of Villa Somalia by Farmaajo in July 2017.
He was subsequently appointed the Deputy Director for the NISA after which the reporter rose to become director.
