CAPTION: Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Amb Macharia Kamau The existing tension between Kenya and Somalia over their maritime border could soon rise to new heights after Uhuru Kenyatta's government said it will not recognize next week's judgment the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
In a statement on Friday, October 8, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary, Ambassador Macharia Kamau, said Kenya will not hesitate to defend its territorial integrity as it did during the Shifta War and added that the judgement expected on October 12 could have serious effects on the stability of the region.
The PS, who was flanked by his Defence counterpart Ibrahim Mohamed, Vice Chief of Defence Forces Ogola and Solicitor General Kennedy Ogeto, accused the ICJ of assuming jurisdiction in the case when it had none. "The delivery of the Judgment will be the culmination of a flawed judicial process that Kenya has had reservations with and withdrawn from, on account not just of its obvious and inherent bias but also of its unsuitability to resolve the dispute at hand, " the statement read in part. “The Government of Kenya recognizes and has consistently indicated as much, that the Judgement of the Court – whichever way – will have profound security, political, social and economic ramifications in the region and beyond. This will, undoubtedly, be unfortunate in a region that is already under the torment of terrorism, instability and conflict,” he added. CAPTION: The area in the Kenya-Somalia maritime border dispute is about 100,000km2 forming a triangle east of the Kenya coast. The trade and diplomatic war between Nairobi and Mogadishu began in 2014 when Somali filed a territorial ownership case at the ICJ accusing Kenya of grabbing some parts of the Indian Ocean.
Kenya responded by dismissing Mogadishu's argument saying that if the Hague-based court rules in favour of Somalia, it could lead to social, economical and political complications.