Kenya and Somaliland are working closely to enhance mutual interests in regional peace, stability, and development.
In a renewed effort to strengthen ties between the two sides, Members of the Somaliland House of Representatives landed in Nairobi for a series of meetings with their Kenyan counterparts.
The delegation constituted Members of Foreign Policy Committee delegation was led by the Chairman Mohamed Koodbuur, Mohamed Raamboo, Hussein Budul, Omer Jama, and Bashir Hussein.
The Kenyan counterparts were Sophia Abdi Noor, Maore Maoka, Amina Gedow, Jennifer Shamalla, and Senator Mohamed Moalim.
The Head of Development Partnerships at Somaliland Mission in Kenya, Ismail Shirwac, described the meeting by the lawmakers as amicable and fruitful.
Diplomatic relations between Kenya and Somaliland got an impetus after President Muse Bihi Abdi was hosted by President Uhuru Kenyatta in Nairobi in December 2020. Kenya and Somaliland agreed to expand trade; direct flights between Nairobi and Hargeisa and enhance cooperation between the ports of Mombasa and Berbera; and cooperate in agriculture, Livestock development, education, and energy.
In July 2021, Kenya deployed Benson M. Mwaliko as Head of Liaison Office in Hargeisa and other three diplomats to Somaliland, which signals Kenya’s commitment to enhancing relations with Somaliland, a country seeking global recognition since it declared itself independent from Somalia in the early 1990s.
Similarly, the Kenya-Somaliland Parliamentary caucus chaired by Sophia Abdi Noor was formed this year, to further cement the bilateral relations.
