Leaders from North Eastern Kenya have revived calls for the immediate reopening of the Kenya–Somalia border, warning that delays are strangling local economies and deepening frustration among residents who rely heavily on cross-border trade.
Addressing a gathering in Garissa on Monday, the leaders led by Fafi MP Salah Yakub urged President William Ruto to take decisive action, saying the region’s economic lifeline lies just a few kilometres across the frontier.
“We are the second-largest economy, but nobody comes back to help us. A town like Garissa depends on that border, which is only 40 kilometres away and 50 kilometres to Kismayu port. We are asking the President to direct the reopening so that we can freely trade,” Yakub said.
The Kenya–Somalia border was officially shut in October 2011 as the government responded to a wave of Al-Shabaab attacks.
However, what seemed like a stopgap measure to the insecurity led to a disruption in movement and trade for thousands living along the frontier, with businesses in towns like Garissa and Mandera feeling the impact.
In May last year, Nairobi and Mogadishu officials agreed on a phased reopening of three border points, starting with Mandera, followed by Garissa and Lamu. But the plan suffered a major setback after a spike in deadly attacks in June same year.
On June 13 same year, eight police officers were killed in Garissa after their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. Eleven days later, five civilians were killed in Lamu in an attack claimed by Al-Shabaab, with some victims found beheaded.
The renewed insecurity forced authorities to slow the reopening plan, leaving communities in the region in limbo.
Despite much of the cross-border trade occurring informally, in 2024, Kenya exported goods worth approximately USD130 million (about Ksh16.8 billion) to Somalia, while imports from Somalia were just over USD4 million (around Ksh517 million).
Ruto's IDs Directive
Meanwhile, despite President Ruto having signed an Executive Order earlier this year waiving the vetting requirement for Northeastern residents applying for national identification documents, it has emerged that the locals have yet to enjoy the benefits of the directive.
Tarbaj MP Ibrahim Saney revealed that the IDs largely remain in Nairobi, where the processed forms had been taken for printing. He accused unnamed officials of undermining the President’s directive on easing the issuance of national ID cards in the region.
“They call it validation in Nairobi, yet there is no provision of IDs happening in Garissa. Vetting has been removed, but the IDs are not coming back,” Saney said.
He went on, “Who is this sabotaging the President? Something must be done about the production of identification cards.”
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, however, assured the residents that MPs will summon Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to Parliament next week to explain the persistent delays in the issuance of national identity cards, following widespread complaints from residents across Northern Kenya.
