On Wednesday the President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrived in Nairobi to start an official two-day tour of the country and was received by DP Rigathi Gachagua, upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. 

Hassan Sheikh later met President William Ruto at the State House and will attend the sixth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA6) currently underway in Nairobi.

193 member states meet annually to discuss the environment as it relates to climate – among other things. 

Somalia and Ethiopia have developed tension after the latter signed a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland to establish a naval base on leased coastal areas from Somalia. 

Hassan Sheikh – who sees the deal as a violation of Somalia’s sovereignty – is expected to raise the matter during the UN environmental assembly in Nairobi. 

Inside sources tell Kenya Ni Sisi President William Ruto is arranging a meeting with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and President Hassan Sheikh on the sidelines of the UN meeting.

Somalia has been stating there will not be “space” for mediation with Ethiopia before the latter retracts the agreement with Somaliland – a breakaway region of Somalia that has existed as a de facto state for over thirty years. 

State and non-state actors have been expressing concern about possible military conflict between Ethiopia and Somalia, urging a peaceful resolution of the tension between the two countries.

President Ruto, keen on making Kenya the anchor of stability of the region, is at the forefront of ensuring the two nations are at peace, for the benefit of the East African Community economy, and specifically, Kenya.