The government has suspended the opening of the Kenya-Somali border in the wake of renewed attacks by al Shabaab militants, who have killed 40 people in recent weeks after Kenya signalled it would be re-opening the border.

The government gave in to pressure from both the international community and local security agencies to reconsider its position on the volatile Somalia-Kenya border following increased cross-border crimes and terrorism.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki yesterday announced the government had reached the decision in consultation with the Somalia government to stem a wave of new attacks that have also claimed the lives of security personnel.

“In the last two months, we have witnessed an increase of terrorist attacks and they have also carried out attacks in Wajir, Garissa and Mandera.

We have stopped the opening process of the border so that we can firmly deal with them; the process and procedure of opening the Liboi, Kiunga and Mandera border points are still in place but we have stopped for some time and we shall resume soon,” Kindiki said during a tour of Dadaab, Garissa county.

The government had early this year announced that it would re-open the three border points in phases to allow the free movement of people and goods.

Since then, the country has witnessed increased attacks in the northern frontier counties of Garissa, Mandera and Wajir, mainly targeting security officers and suspected to be orchestrated by suspected Al Shabaab elements.

The upsurge in terrorist activities has been attributed to Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group based in Somalia, whose members had taken advantage of the reopening of the border to freely cross over into Kenya to carry out attacks.

The militants are also said to have used the free movement across the border to engage in illegal businesses, particularly in arms smuggling, and transporting of contraband such as sugar, fuel, charcoal, clothes and other goods, which they sell to fund their activities.

The free movement has also enabled the militants to gather intelligence on security operations from their relatives on the Kenyan side and using it to outwit security agencies.

Smuggled goods

Due to the rise in smuggled goods from Somalia that are not properly registered and regulated, the East African Community (EAC) members States have also complained to the Kenyan government.

Most of the goods being transited from Somalia end up in Nairobi’s Eastleigh, one of Nairobi’s busiest business hubs, before being exported to other EAC states.

However, the goods are not classified as locally manufactured (in Somalia) to cross the borders without paying duty in line with trade protocols.

Yesterday, Kindiki, who had previously defended the move to re-open the border after a 12-year closure said the latest decision was arrived at after consultations between Nairobi and Mogadishu.

He stressed the need to stabilise security at the border points as that was the only way to manage irregular migration, organised crime and violent extremism.

Both Kenya and Somalia are in agreement on the need to strengthen information sharing and need to develop modalities to address cross-border challenges since security threats are transnational in nature and require a coordinated response.

Kindiki also said Kenya was reviewing its refugee policy.

“Kenya has adopted an updated, improved and enhanced Refugee Act 2022.

The government will neither roll back nor backtrack on the implementation of the Refugee Act, 2022 and all its obligations as a signatory to international treaties,” Kindiki said.

“We are announcing a policy shift on management of refugees’ database. Going forward, it will be the responsibility of the government of Kenya to manage and administer the database of all refugees in Kenya.”

He warned that even as Kenya provides greater protection and compliance with international treaties, it was aware that there are a few refugees misusing the noble space of refugee protection to hurt Kenya’s national security through terrorism.

“There are few criminal elements who will not be allowed to hurt the interests of bona-fide refugees and the host communities,” the CS said.

Executed them

On June 24, five people were beheaded and houses torched in an al Shabaab attack in Salama and Juhudi in Mkunumbi Division of Lamu county.

The attackers dragged the victims from their houses and tied their hands and legs with ropes behind their backs before executing them.

Those killed were identified as Samuel Chomba Gacura, 60, Barrack Hussein 19, a student at Bakanja secondary school school, Reuben Mwangi, 33, Peter Mureithi Githinji, 40, and Mwenda alias Sumbua, 38. Most had their throats slit, valuable stolen and their houses torched.

The attackers also burnt houses belonging to Elizabeth Wairimu, Daniel Njogu Mureithi, Ndei, Lawrence Kinyua Gitari, Gilbert Mwangi and Harrison Njogu Miano, a National Police reservist. They also stole livestock.

The attack occurred a week after three Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers were killed as they responded to an attack on a General Service Unit (GSU) team, also in Lamu.

The soldiers were responding to an attack where at least 10 other GSU officers were injured when an armoured personnel carrier (APC) vehicle they were travelling in ran over an Improvised Explosive Device.

In early June, terrorists also killed at least 15 security officials in separate attacks in Lamu and Garissa counties.

In one of the attacks on June 13, eight KDF soldiers were also killed in Bodhei at the boundary of Lamu and Garissa counties after their vehicle ran over a landmine.

The same day, another separate attack was also reported near Mararani where suspected members of al Shabaab attacked security officers using a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG).

On June 4, gunmen believed to be Alshabaab shot and wounded a motorist, his passenger and a motorcyclist in Olla area, Rhamu, Mandera County. Mohamed Hassan, 45, said he was driving a salon car when he was attacked by gunmen who were on the roadside along Banisa-Rhamu road.

The previous day, June 3, a member of the National Police Reserve (NPR) was also killed in an attack on a communication mast at a village town in Wajir near the Kenya-Somalia border.