President William Ruto has announced that the Mandera Border Post with Somalia will reopen in April, a move expected to restore cross-border connectivity, revive trade, and strengthen economic ties for communities long affected by the prolonged closure.
Speaking during a development visit to Mandera County, the president said it was unjust for residents to remain separated from neighbouring communities and regional markets.
“It is unacceptable that fellow Kenyans in Mandera remain cut off from their kin and neighbors in Somalia due to the prolonged closure of the Mandera Border Post,” Ruto said.
“Accordingly, we will reopen the border post in April, restoring connectivity and revitalising cross-border trade for the mutual prosperity of our people,” he added.
The reopening is anticipated to boost local commerce, improve the movement of goods and people, and enhance livelihoods in the border region, where informal and formal trade with Somalia has historically played a central economic role.
Beyond trade, the president outlined additional government interventions aimed at stabilising Mandera’s economy and addressing critical infrastructure and humanitarian needs.
To tackle persistent electricity shortages, the government will implement both immediate and long-term power solutions.
“To address the acute power shortage in the county, we shall, in the short term, install a 3-megawatt generator to stabilise supply even as we fast-track plans to connect Mandera to the Ethiopian power grid for a more sustainable solution,” Ruto said.
The President also highlighted expanded drought-response measures across the Northern Frontier, noting that support now extends beyond food aid to the protection of livestock, which remains central to household incomes in the region.
“Beyond the food relief currently being distributed across the drought-stricken Northern Frontier, we are also providing animal feed for livestock, the economic backbone of families in the region,” he said.
In a further push to stimulate local enterprise and youth employment, the president presided over the disbursement of KSh63 million in NYOTA Business Start-Up Capital to 2,520 beneficiaries at Mandera Stadium.
The funding is intended to empower young entrepreneurs to establish and grow businesses, create jobs, and contribute to the strengthening of the county’s local economy.
Taken together, the reopening of the border, planned power investments, expanded drought relief, and youth enterprise funding signal a coordinated government effort to unlock economic opportunity and resilience in Mandera and the wider Northern Kenya region.