Northeastern Kenya leaders intensify calls for swift reopening of Somalia border
Elected leaders from Kenya’s North Eastern region have intensified their push for the national government to urgently reopen the long-closed Somalia border, warning that the continued shutdown has devastated the region’s economy.
Calls for the reopening of the Kenya-Somalia border have intensified as elected leaders from Northeastern Kenya urge the national government to lift the closure imposed in 2011.
The prolonged shutdown, initially introduced due to security concerns, has been blamed for crippling the local economy of border counties and cutting off thousands of families from daily cross-border trade that once sustained their livelihoods.
Speaking during a meeting in Garissa, Fafi MP Salah Yaquub appealed to President William Ruto to make a decisive intervention, noting that communities in the region had endured economic hardship for more than a decade.
Yaquub said Northeastern Kenya hosts one of the country's largest regional economies, yet continues to suffer from limited government support despite its strategic position. He noted that Garissa lies only 40-50 kilometers from the key Somali port of Kismayo, a natural trade route now rendered inaccessible.
“The closure of the border severed our traditional markets. Garissa and Mandera lost access to vital supply chains and trade routes,” he said, adding that the security restrictions imposed 14 years ago had evolved into a long-term economic burden on residents.
Kenya and Somalia had agreed in May last year to begin a phased reopening of three border crossing points. However, renewed insecurity-including sporadic attacks in June that left civilians and security officers dead-forced the process to be delayed once again.
Local leaders now insist that reopening the border, alongside strengthened security measures, is critical for restoring economic activity, boosting cross-border cooperation, and easing the strain on communities that have relied on trade with Somalia for decades.
