The Interior ministry's announcement that Kenya will delay a phased reopening of its border points with Somalia due to the recent wave of terror attacks and cross-border crime is welcome.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki says the decision had been taken due to sustained Al-Shabaab attacks at the Somalia border.
The reopening of the three border points—which had been shut for more than a decade due to insecurity— is being counted upon to boost the flow of people and capital between Kenya and Somalia, which is key in the revival of trade among the neighbouring countries.
The government should put enhance measures to stop the terror group from exporting its activities into the country before fully opening up.
With the heavy investment in technology and the heavy budgets given to the military for modernisation, taxpayers expect that the government is now in a good place to open the borders without hurting the tourism industry, which is among the top forex earners.
The tourism industry may not survive another round of disruptions, having already endured previous terror attacks and the Covid-19 pandemic.
