This archive report was first published on 24 August 2020.
Kenya, Somalia Border Wall Construction Resumes ¶
August 24, 2020
Construction of the 700 km Kenya-Somalia border wall, a project that has been marred in controversy, is back underway. According to a former Somali forces Colonel Aden Ruffle, the wall is expected to consist of a concrete wall ringed with a barbed-wire electric fence and trenches.
The perimeter wall will also have observation posts where electronic surveillance cameras are set to be installed to aid in monitoring movements on either side of the border.
The project, which was initially announced in 2015 following the Garissa University terror attack that claimed 148 lives, has faced numerous challenges. In April 2019, it was discovered that instead of the proposed 2-foot wall, wire fencing was all that could be seen.
According to a recent parliamentary report, Ksh3.4 billion was already used up, with less than 30 km covered to date. The project has been resisted by both Kenyan and Somali nationals along the border.
Speaking on Somalia's Radio Shabelle, Colonel Ruffle urged the residents of the border areas to remain vigilant and prevent any attempts to encroach on their land, using the perimeter wall as a cover.
A file photo of KDF soldiers during a patrol in Kotile town on the Garissa-Lamu-Somalia border, as part of the Linda Boni operation aimed at flushing out Al-Shabaab terrorists.
Following the horrific attack on Garissa University on April 2, 2015, Kenya announced the grand plan aimed at limiting the movement of Al Shabaab militants across the porous border.
However, the project was soon marred in controversy as instead of the proposed 2-foot wall, wire fencing was all that could be seen. In March 2018, Kenya suspended the construction of the controversial security wall at the Mandera-Somalia border to quell tensions.
This image taken on May 10, 2016 in Mandera shows the abandoned project to build a Kenya-Somalia border wall.
