Somalia: a Kenyan official offers visa on arrival for Somalis

Chief Foreign Secretary Macharia Kamau said there are major untapped business opportunities between Kenya and Somalia.

He cited tourism, which he said remains heavily untapped, noting that Kenya currently receives 32,268 tourists from Somalia each year.

He said the number can be tripled if visa protocols are enforced and issued on arrival.

Macharia said Somalia is on the verge of a turning point that could position it as an important country for business, trade and cooperation and could soon be a major source of tourism and hotel revenue for Kenya.

He said countries like Uganda, Djobouti, Ethiopia and Turkey have seen Somalia’s potential and have direct flights to Mogadishu, something Kenya Airways should consider.

Mcahraia was in Mogadishu to visit the Kenyan embassy and assess his situation.

“I traveled to Somalia with a small delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which included the Director of Human Resources and Management and other specialists to review the situation of our diplomatic team in Somalia,” Kamau said in a statement Sunday.

He said about 35,000 Kenyans currently live in Somalia, while about half a million Somalis also reside in Kenyan refugee camps with about 1.5 million integrated over time.

The integration ratio of Somalis with Kenyan indigenous people remains among the highest in Kenya, the PS said.

During his trip, Macharia examined living conditions in Mogadishu and discussed strategic and security issues that concern the Kenya mission on operations in Somalia.

“While here I also had the opportunity to discuss other important issues with the PS and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the new Minister of Commerce that touched on trade and cooperation between our two countries,” he said.

It also involved a number of international partners including EU, UK and US ambassadors.

The PS also held talks with the political and military leadership of the Mogadishu-based African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) and explored cooperation and opportunities between Somalia and Kenya.

“The promise of trade and business 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 over the past decade should not hinder what would be the enormous benefits of cooperation and business in the two countries.

The PS said so far, Kenya has offered Somalia over 500 scholarships in various areas of study and skills development to help the Somali state build skills and competencies for development.

Somalia in turn has offered many young Kenyans job opportunities in Mogadishu and elsewhere in the country in the education, hotel and construction sectors.