Security Expert Raises Concerns Over Kenya’s Plan to Eliminate Visa Requirements
Kenya’s plan to scrap visa requirements in January has raised concern among experts with the recent admission of Somalia to the East African Community (EAC) bloc. Somalia, still struggling with terrorism and high levels of crime, could pose a security risk for Kenya. According to a security expert, the plan could reopen wounds for Kenya, which has been trying to distance itself from the Al Shabaab terrorist group.
Celebrating 60 years as a republic, Kenyan President William Ruto announced his plan on Dec. 12 to scrap visa requirements for all travelers, expatriates, and investors entering the East African country.
This announcement came a few weeks after Somalia joined the EAC as a new member, causing an uproar as many people in the region questioned the move to admit it, citing security concerns as the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) still fights to stabilize the country from Al Shabaab.
Mr. Ruto’s move to remove visa requirements for Kenya from January 2022 doubled the concerns, as it now means that the border between Somalia and Kenya—which has been kept under very tight security for years—will now be open to anyone traveling through Somalia and into Kenya, including Somali nationals entering Kenya.
Security Issues
Kenyan security expert Haggai Chogo told The Epoch Times that Mr. Ruto needs to consult and listen to the opinions of security experts on the issue before declaring free movement between the borders.
“It is better for him to clarify to the country how he is going to deal with the security matters as he opens the borders, whether he has a strategic plan to handle this. Visa was put there to filter the right people coming into the country,” he said.
Mr. Chogo also said that a porous border would pose a danger not only to Kenya but also to the entire region, as criminals would know that they could move in and even establish operational bases within the borders.
“The Al Shabaab has been a problem for Kenya since the reign of Mohammed Siad Barre, and therefore, the border must be properly secured,” he said.
Barre fought the Shifta War when he declared part of northern Kenya as Somali territory, leading to an armed struggle between his government and that of Jomo Kenyatta between 1963 and 1967, immediately after Kenya gained independence.
Notably, Al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for several terrorist attacks in the country, including the 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Westlands, the 2015 Garissa University attack, and the 2019 DusitD2 attack in Riverside Nairobi.
In October 2011, the then-internal security minister, the late George Saitoti, sent Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) troops into Somalia to pursue the Al Shabaab terrorists after they abducted European nationals near the coastal town of Lamu, which lies next to the Somali border.
Since then, there have been retaliatory attacks by the Al Shabaab and soldier casualties as well on the KDF side, with leaders and politicians at times calling for the withdrawal of the KDF from Somalia. Neither the Uhuru nor Ruto governments have heeded the calls.
In 2015, under then-President Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya announced that it was building a multi-million shillings 435-mile wall along its border with Somalia. Only a 5-mile section of the wall was built, and local media reported in 2018 about the vandalism that was taking place, with people bringing down the materials used.
According to Mr. Chogo, Kenya can make peace with its neighbors, but opening the border is not the best move when it comes to national security matters.
“The government right now must ensure the security of its citizens, especially those in the northeastern part of the country, especially now during the Christmas festive season,” Mr. Chogo said.
Somalia’s admission to the EAC could bring a potential market of more than 300 million people with its 1,880-mile coastline—the longest on the continent.
The EAC was founded in 2000, with one of its aims being to facilitate cross-border trade by abolishing customs duties between its member states. Somalia has been fighting the Al-Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab terrorists for the past 16 years, having asked the international community to assist it in the fight. Kenya and Uganda have troops inside Somalia fighting under the AMISOM.
Mr. Chogo said that Mr. Ruto’s plan to scrap visa requirements for anyone entering the country, coupled with Somalia’s admission to the EAC, poses a threat to the country’s national security.
“He [Ruto] should have given a comprehensive list of measures taken by his government to ensure security rather than saying he’s opening the borders without assuring that these are the measures we have put in place to ensure our country’s security,” he said.
Mr. Chogo warned that if this is not done, he is afraid that only time will be the judge, and then it might be too late for the country to correct such a mess.
“It is only a period [before] you will realize that the damage is done.”
