Abstract:
Kenya and Somalia are at a position of having the best of diplomatic relations between
them. For instance the two countries share along border with very many similar ethnic
groups, cultural similarity and the same political interest of having a stable government
in Somalia which can effectively fight terrorism and other security threats. Economic
prosperity in each country will benefit the other. The two countries are members of
African Union which promotes peaceful resolution of disputes. However, this is not the
case, because Somalia has taken adversarial position regarding the maritime dispute by
going to International Criminal Court. The objective of this study was to examine the
impact of the maritime disputes on Kenya- Somali relations. The specific objectives of
the study included; to analyze the historical diplomatic relationships between Kenya
and Somalia, to assess the genesis of the maritime border dispute between Kenya and
Somalia and to evaluate the different strategies that have been deployed in resolving
the disputes and their implications for diplomatic relations between Kenya and Somalia.
This study employed an exploratory research design. Given that this research used
secondary sources of data, particularly desktop research, the instrument used in
collecting data was a datasheet which was designed by the researcher to come up with
comprehensive conclusions. The sources of data for this research were scholarly
publications, the internet, newspapers, journals and unclassified government
documents, libraries and review articles. The analysis was qualitative since the data
collected was secondary in nature and thus is descriptive in nature. The research is
based on qualitative method of analysis firstly, because it enables the researcher to
investigate issues in an-depth way and allows the researcher to gain insight into what
other scholars have written on the research topic. The study findings revealed that the
strained relations between Kenya and Somalia can also be traced back to the period
after Somalia’s independence. Somalia’s five pointed star has meant the existence of
Somali irredentism for nationalists who claimed an expanded Somalia; the star
represents the five territories of Somalia, one of which is Northern Kenya. This
orientation, led to numerous skirmishes between the rebel group shifta and Kenyan
security forces. For many years, Kenya and Somalia have enjoyed good relations. Most
of Somalia refugees have settled in Kenya and our Kenyan troops are serving in the
African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which is helping the government of
President Mohammed Abdullahi Farmajo battle the Al Shabaab. Unfortunately, the
bonds that have held Kenya and Somalia for decades are breaking each day because of
the long-standing Maritime dispute over the Indian Ocean. The study recommends that
both countries should refrain from any actions that could exacerbate the current crisis.
They should restore diplomatic relations and cooperation activities. The two countries
can explore the option of a sharing and co-operation arrangement for developing the
resources in this disputed oil-rich zone. Such an arrangement can borrow from a similar
case between Nigeria and São Tome and Principe that culminated in a joint
development zone that has enabled the two countries to share their oil and gas resources.