EXPLAINER: Why Kenya-Somalia Border Opening Has Been Delayed – RUTO
President William Ruto has blamed the delayed reopening of the Kenya-Somalia border on a budget issue and persistent political instability in Somalia, which he claims continues to harm regional security efforts.
Ruto stated that he had expected the border to reopen earlier, but that current circumstances had forced him to reconsider.
The Head of State said at an interview in Wajir County during the Madaraka Day celebrations on June 1.
“I really thought I would have opened those borders by now. But unfortunately, there is always a delicate balance between security and commerce,” he said.
BREAKING: Kenya’s President Ruto says the border with Somalia will remain closed for now, citing a “delicate balance between security and commerce.”
He told journalists from northern Kenya that lack of predictable international funding for troops and political divisions inside… pic.twitter.com/KHXh5EPjnS— Dalsan TV (@DalsanTv) June 1, 2026
Ruto also stated that Kenya’s deployment of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) to Somalia to bolster stabilization efforts has been costly, owing to a lack of constant international funding.
“We have had challenges with our border with Somalia because of the things that you all know,” he added.
“We have gone out of our way as a country to make sure that we secure that border at huge cost, by the way.”
The lack of a coherent international plan over the past two years, he added, has stalled the progress his administration was making toward normalising cross-border movement and trade.
The Head of State also pointed to Somalia’s internal politics as a major stumbling block, saying the country’s federal states have not reached full agreement on a unified governance process.
Somalia is currently facing a political standoff over the legitimacy of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
The opposition leaders are disputing his continued tenure and efforts to manage regional elections, triggering a major national crisis following a contested term extension.
Ruto said the absence of a stable and unified government in Somalia makes it difficult to guarantee effective security.
He argued that reopening the border under such conditions would be premature and risky despite ongoing stabilization efforts in the region.
“We are trying to assist them to create some understanding, because if you do not have unity of government in Somalia, it becomes much more difficult to provide security,” he said.
Despite the challenges, the President acknowledged that cross-border trade benefits both countries and reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to removing trade barriers.
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He stressed that security must take precedence over commerce.
Kenya and Somalia share a border that, if opened, would unlock significant trade potential under frameworks like the East African Community, COMESA, and the African Continental Free Trade Area.
He said Kenya is still exploring how to safely reopen the border, stressing that the two priorities, security and trade, must move together and neither can be compromised for the other.
This year marks 15 years since the Kenya-Somalia border was officially closed in October 2011 by the late President Mwai Kibaki’s administration following Operation Linda Nchi.
The military incursion was launched to push back the Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab.
Further negotiations on the phased reopening of the contentious border will continue during the 11th Our Ocean Conference (OOC11) in Mombasa and Kilifi Counties from June 14-18, according to President Ruto.
EXPLAINER: Why Kenya-Somalia Border Opening Has Been Delayed – RUTO
