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Senior Foreign Secretary Macharia Kamau has said there are vast untapped trade opportunities between Kenya and Somalia.
He cited tourism, which he said remains very little exploited, noting that Kenya currently receives 32,268 tourists from Somalia a year.
He said the number can be tripled if visa protocols are enforced and issued on arrival.
Macharia said that Somalia is on the cusp of a sea change that could position it as an important country for business, trade and cooperation and could soon be a major source of tourism and hotel income for Kenya.
He said countries like Uganda, Djobouti, Ethiopia and Turkey have seen the potential of Somalia and have direct flights to Mogadishu, something Kenya Airways should consider.
Mcahraia was in Mogadishu to visit the Kenyan Embassy and assess her situation.
“I have traveled to Somalia with a small delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that included the Director of Human Resources and Management and other specialists to analyze the situation of our diplomatic team in Somalia,” Kamau said in a statement Sunday.
He said that some 35,000 Kenyans currently live in Somalia, while around half a million Somalis also reside in Kenyan refugee camps with around 1.5 million integrated over time.
The integration ration of Somalis to indigenous Kenyans remains one of the highest in Kenya, the PS said.
During his tour, Macharia analyzed living conditions in Mogadishu and discussed strategic and security issues that are of interest to the Kenyan mission in operations in Somalia.
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“While I was here I also had the opportunity to discuss other important matters with the PS and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the new Minister of Commerce that have touched on trade and cooperation between our two countries,” he said.
It also engaged several international partners, including ambassadors from the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The PS also held talks with the political and military leaders of the Mogadishu-based African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) and explored cooperation and opportunities between Somalia and Kenya.
“The promise of commercial and commercial exchanges between the two peoples of Kenya and Somalia is phenomenal and could be transformative for both economies and societies,” Kamau said.
He said the significant political and security challenges between Kenya and Somalia in the past decade should not impede the huge benefits of cooperation and business in the two countries.
The PS said that so far, Kenya has offered Somalia 500 scholarships or more in various areas of study and skills development to help the Somali state develop capacities and skills for development.
Somalia, in turn, has offered many young Kenyans job opportunities in Mogadishu and other parts of the country in the areas of education, the hotel industry and the construction industry.
