Somalia has finally given the go-ahead for the resumption of miraa exports from Kenya. In addition, Somalia has allowed for scheduled flights by Kenya Airways to the country.
This follows a meeting that was held at State House Kenya by President Uhuru Kenyatta and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
This was the second meeting after the first one thay was held in Mogadishu when President Kenyatta attended Mohamud’s inauguration in May 2022.
During the State House meeting, President Mahmud said that he would be working to repair relations with Kenya.
He also said that Somalia and Kenya would be reopening their border to which Kenya shut down over ten years ago to curb terrorism.
“There is a lot to bring us together than to divide us,” President Mohamud said in a joint press briefing with President Kenyatta. “The common challenges we have are not limited to terrorism or droughts. We have a lot more challenges.”
A joint communique between Kenya and Somali delegations had earlier indicated miraa exports from Kenya and fish imports from Somalia would be resuming with immediate effect.
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They “agreed to facilitate, diversify and promote trade and economic cooperation between the two countries….and directed the immediate market access of fish and fish products from Somalia to Kenya and vice versa and the resumption of trade in khat (miraa) from Kenya to Somalia, to resume with immediate effect.”
The two countries also agreed that the Kenya Airways (KQ) scheduled fights to Mogadishu resume immediately based on the existing Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA).
