Kenyan MP denies report that Kenya might cut ties with Somalia

A member of Kenyan Parliament Ilyas Barre Shiil, the vice chairman of parliamentary defense and foreign committee denied report recently published by The star that Kenyan government may be forced to sever ties with Somalia if recommendations by the National Assembly’s Defense and Foreign Relations committee are adopted by the House.

Speaking to Goobjoog FM the MP said that their report indicate strengthening the relations between the two nations and opening Kenyan embassy in Mogadishu so as to bring services close to the Kenyan nationals living and working in Somalia.

Responding to a question about the dispute between Somalia and Kenya over maritime boundary Mr. Shiil said Kenyan parliament can do nothing about the case since it was taken to the court adding that its upon ICJ to resolve the longstanding maritime dispute.

“The only solution of this dispute is through diplomacy and not cheap exaggerations” The MP said.

On the other hand the MP underlined that the peace-keeping troops in Somalia including KDF will not be in the country forever, instead Somalia national forces will be trained and within two years they will be able to take over the security of of the country.

As a member of parliament elected from Dadab refugee, the MP described the camps as open jails where the refugees are not access to the basic needs for living. “ the children born the last two decades while the civil war in Somalia was going on are now over twenty four years, some are married with kids” he said.

He noted that the government of Kenya in collaboration with international community is taking into consideration getting long-lasting solutions for the refugees including making Somalia a secure area and voluntarily repatriation of refugees to their respective regions.

This comes after the star published that Kenyan government may be forced to sever ties with Somalia if recommendations by the National Assembly’s Defense and Foreign Relations committee are adopted by the House.

The chairman of the committee, Tetu MP Ndung’u Gethenji, has claimed that the decision by the Somali government to take Kenya to the International Court of Justice over a maritime boundary dispute was hostile and therefore undiplomatic.