Kenya-Somalia Border Set to Reopen in April After 15-Year Closure, Says Ruto

President William Ruto has announced that the Kenya-Somalia border will officially reopen in April, marking the end of a 15-year closure imposed due to persistent security threats.

Speaking during the NYOTA Capital Disbursement event at Mandera Stadium on Thursday, Ruto said he will personally preside over the reopening of the border, which was shut in October 2011 under former President Mwai Kibaki following sustained Al-Shabaab insurgent attacks in the region.

The President emphasized that enhanced security measures will accompany the reopening, including doubling the number of police officers deployed along the border. He said the move aims to safeguard both countries while allowing legitimate trade to flourish.

“We cannot trade with closed borders. For that reason, I will be returning here in April to officially open the border post linking Kenya and Somalia,” Ruto said. “We will deploy adequate security to ensure that criminals and insurgent groups do not infiltrate, while giving traders from both regions the freedom to operate. Leave the insurgents to us; we will deal with them.”

Ruto also called on local leaders and residents to work closely with security agencies by sharing intelligence to prevent Al-Shabaab from exploiting the reopening.

The border closure in 2011 followed repeated attacks by Al-Shabaab, which has waged an insurgency against Somalia’s federal government for over 15 years. Previous efforts to reopen the border, including talks in July 2022 between then-President Uhuru Kenyatta and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, failed to materialize.