Despite the Directorate of Immigration Services’ official website identifying Cheluget as its Director General, a position she assumed on May 15, 2023, sources within the department and Nyayo House claim that she was replaced by one Dr Dan Opon.
Opon, whose name has featured in reports about the alleged leadership changes, is officially listed as the Director General of the National Coordination Mechanism on Migration (NCM), a separate government institution responsible for coordinating migration governance.
However, reports making the rounds within media circles claim that he has been running affairs at the Directorate.
The reported changes at Nyayo House have therefore attracted attention because of their timing, coming months after the passport controversy placed the immigration department under intense public scrutiny.
Nevertheless, no official appointment notice or government communication confirms Cheluget’s departure or Opon’s appointment as Director General of Immigration Services.
Evelyn Cheluget’s tenure came under public scrutiny in February and March 2026 after media reports alleged that Kenyan passports had been issued to foreign nationals, including individuals linked to Sudan’s RSF militia.
The controversy gained attention following reports that Algoney Dagalo Musa, the brother of RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, popularly known as Hemedti, was among individuals said to possess a Kenyan passport.
A leaked document published by local media also purported to list foreign nationals who had allegedly received Kenyan travel documents, raising questions about the procedures used to verify citizenship and process passport applications.
The reports prompted concerns about the security of Kenyan travel documents and the possibility that immigration procedures had been abused.
The government, however, disputed the allegations. On March 16, 2026, Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary Dr Belio Kipsang told MPs that claims that foreign nationals, including individuals associated with Sudan’s RSF, had been issued Kenyan passports were not true.
He maintained that only eligible Kenyan citizens who met the required documentation standards qualified for passports.
The Standard also published a March 9 report raising questions about senior officials who served during the period in which the alleged irregularities occurred. The allegations, however, do not in themselves establish personal culpability on the part of Cheluget or any other official.