Somalia's new president pays 1st state visit to Kenya

By Magdalene Mukami and Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya

In his first state visit as Somalia’s new president, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo arrived in neighboring Kenya Thursday for talks on trade, security, and other areas, and announce the resumption of direct flights between the countries.

Farmaajo, who was elected last month, and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta agreed to open two border posts along the 440-mile perimeter wall that Kenya is building to keep out al-Shabaab terrorists to facilitate the movement of people, goods, and services.

At a joint press conference, Kenyatta said, “Kenya committed to train within our institutions and at government cost 200 teachers, 200 nurses, and 100 Somali administrators”.

He added that to support refugees retuning with job skills so they can help develop and grow Somalia, Kenya will establish a technical training institute for young people in refugee camps as well as the environs of Dadaab Refugee facility, the biggest refugee camp in the world.

For his part, Farmaajo said that Kenya and his country have decided to step up their war on al-Shabaab militants, and said the resumption of flights to Somalia will boost bilateral trade.

“Our cooperation is indeed critical to our historic relations and our continuous efforts to fight insecurity and poverty. When it comes to trade, I believe that the answer is not only to remove barriers to trade but to do trade right,” he added.

On his three-day visit, Farmaajo will attend the Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s (IGAD) Special Summit on Durable Solutions for Somalia Refugees hosted by Kenya.