Editor's Review

  • Somalia had accused Kenya of arming armed militia to destabilize the country. 
  • Kenya has since maintained innocence in the matter. 

Kenya has been absolved of any wrongdoing following allegations of interfering with Somalia’s internal affairs.

A team appointed to investigate the claims by Somalia indicates that Kenya has not armed any militia in the horn of Africa country.  

The claims had caused a diplomatic spat between Kenya and Somalia prompting a recall of diplomats. 

“The commission considers that these grievances, some of which are longstanding, do not appear to it to be sufficient to justify a diplomatic separation between Kenya and Somalia. It is true that the federal government of Somalia is sovereign in its decisions," says part of a report by the team.

"However, on closer examination, it cannot help but be considered disproportionate and unproductive because the two countries are intimately linked politically, humanely and economically.”

The commission notes that the spat impacted 3,000 Somali children attending Kenyan schools on the other side of the border. At the same time, it hindered Amison's efforts to restore peace in the war-torn country. 

The commission further recommended that more diplomatic efforts be deployed at the highest level to reconcile the two countries.

This follows a directive by the 38th IGAD Summit held in Djibouti on December 20, 2020, during which the regional Heads of State and Government meeting discussed the diplomatic crisis that has affected the relationship between Kenya and Somalia.

The commission comprises diplomats and military officers and an IGAD representative gathered evidence from Kenya and Somalia in January.

Somalia claimed there is a violation of the airspace of Somalia and a violation of Somalia's land borders.