Find an amicable solution to Kenya, Somalia sibling rivalry

President Uhuru Kenyatta with Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo in Mogadishu, Somalia, on February 22, 2017.

Kenya and Somalia are important neighbours historically and geographically. Currently, more than 100,000 Kenyans work in Mogadishu and other towns in Somalia. Equally, hundreds of thousands of Somalis live and work in Kenya. Indeed, a majority of wealthy Somali businesspeople have invested in multi-million shilling properties in Nairobi. The two countries have enjoyed diplomatic ties for decades with Kenya playing host to tens of thousands of Somali refugees.

Over the years, Nairobi has played major reconciliation roles between warring clans in Somalia and helped establish stability in the country. This has helped offer peace and hope for a people who have suffered civil wars for many years. Many will recall images of hunger, bloodshed and hopelessness in Somalia in the early 1990s. The images shocked the world, but a global attempt to install peace through arms failed spectacularly and with huge casualties.