President William Ruto has announced that the Mandera Border Post will reopen in April, ending a prolonged closure that has cut off families and disrupted cross-border trade between Kenya and Somalia.
Speaking in Mandera on Thursday, the President said the reopening would restore connectivity between communities on both sides of the border and revive economic activity in the region.
“It is unacceptable that fellow Kenyans in Mandera remain cut off from their kin and neighbours in Somalia due to the prolonged closure of the Mandera Border Post,”
President 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.”
The Head of State also addressed the persistent power shortages in Mandera County, announcing short-term and long-term measures to stabilise electricity supply.
He said the government will install a 3-megawatt generator to ease the current crisis as plans are accelerated to connect the county to the Ethiopian power grid.
The connection to Ethiopia will provide a more reliable and sustainable power solution for residents and businesses in the region.
President Ruto said the government is expanding support beyond food relief and drought response efforts in the Northern Frontier. “In addition to ongoing food distribution, the government is providing animal feed to safeguard livestock.”
The President presided over the disbursement of Sh63 million under the NYOTA Business Start-Up Capital programme at Mandera stadium.
The funds were allocated to 2,520 beneficiaries, aimed at empowering youth to start businesses, create jobs and strengthen the local economy.
The NYOTA initiative is part of the government’s broader plan to enhance youth employment and entrepreneurship across the country.
