The government has delayed the plans to reopen the Kenya-Somalia border.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki said the reopening will delay following a spate of terror attacks.
This follows an increase in terror-related attacks along the Kenya-Somalia border in the past month that have claimed more than 30 lives most of them being security officers.
“The Government will delay the planned reopening of Kenya-Somalia border points until we conclusively deal with the recent spate of terror attacks and cross-border crime,” he said.
He made the remarks in Dadaab refugee camp Wednesday while on the ongoing tour of the northern region to address terror-related attacks.
He said the plans to reopen the border points will continue.
The border points were closed in 2011 at the height of the al Shabaab attacks.
Kindiki had in May this year announced Kenya and Somalia had resolved to open the border in phases, within the next 90 days.
Kindiki said that the Mandera/Belet Hawo (Belethawa) was to be the first to be opened in the next 30 days.
This particular border point provides entry from the Kenyan side at Mandera County.
Kindiki affirmed that the government of Kenya will continue to engage with the Federal Government of Somalia to develop and implement joint approaches and strategies cutting across social economic and insecurity issues.
His counterpart from Somalia, Mohamed Ahmed Sheikh Ali said the Federal Government is committed to promoting and strengthening corporation with its neighbors to improve security.
The two also resolved to strengthen cross-border communication and information-sharing exchange between the two countries.
On Wednesday while on his second day of the visit to the area, Kindiki said they had launched an operation targeting the terror cells in the area.
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Kindiki said the operation is also aimed at providing round-the-clock security to contractors and engineers working on key infrastructure projects in North Eastern Kenya and insulating them from criminal elements and extremists keen on sabotaging their operations.
“Construction of key roads such as Garissa-Wajir-Mandera and Lamu-Mandera roads will open up the North Eastern Region for development and economic growth.”
“The government has upscaled partnerships with the local communities to flush out criminal elements and violent extremists,” he said.
