Friday, June 05, 2015
Somalia MPs yesterday strongly protested Kenya's move to build a separation long fence or wall along the border between the two countries.
The MPs proposed a bilateral border commission, comprising Kenya and Somali members, to ensure Somalia land is not encroached.
This is a good idea that deserves support especially since land grabbing by the political and other elites is rampant inside Kenya.
Demonstrators in Beled Hawo near Mandera spoke of "colonial tendencies" by Kenya and urged President Hassan Shiekh Mohamud to stand up and be counted in the protection of Somalia land.
As noted by the protesters, Kenya and Somalia are members of the AU and eastern African nations that enjoy longstanding international relations. There is no need for Kenya therefore to act unilaterally in such a vast undertaking as the erection of a more than 500km border fence or wall.
Accusations of land grabbing will become inevitable in a project in which Somalia plays only the role of an embarrassed and aggrieved bystander. Allegations of a 500km long land grab could colour Kenya-Somalia relations for decades and add to existing tensions.
The hostility towards the KDF detachments providing security for the construction crews does not augur well for Kenyan unilateralism on a project of this scale and long-term implications.