Kenya’s Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has declared that the long-closed border with Somalia will officially reopen soon, arguing the current 15-year shutdown has failed to stop cross-border movement while starving the government of vital revenue.
The border, closed in 2011 at the height of Al-Shabaab attacks, continues to see informal crossings daily, meaning Kenya loses millions in customs duties and immigration fees while gaining no security advantage, Duale said.
The reopening would formalize a thriving but underground trade corridor worth over $130 million in Kenyan exports to Somalia last year alone. For Somalia, it signals deepening ties with a key regional partner following its admission into the East African Community.
Speaking at a graduation ceremony in Garissa, Duale said the government loses oversight and revenue by maintaining a “paper-only” closure.
“The border could have created better revenue for the government. Immigration authorities would have had the opportunity to vet people properly. But as it stands, you are saying the border is closed, yet that is only on paper,” he said.
The CS revealed he has already engaged President William Ruto on the matter, saying he would continue pushing for the formal reopening of the Mandera, Liboi, and Kiunga crossing points on a phased basis.
President Ruto first announced the reopening plan in February during a tour of Mandera, declaring it “unacceptable that fellow Kenyans remain cut off from their kin.” That plan was delayed after a resurgence of Al-Shabaab attacks in 2023, but officials now say security assessments are complete.
The move would reconnect communities that have depended on cross-border livestock and commodity trade for generations, with local leaders repeatedly urging Nairobi to fast-track the process.