President Kenyatta to hold bilateral talks with Somalia Prime Minister

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday received Somalia Prime Minister Hussein Mohamed Roble at State House, Mombasa where they are set to hold bilateral talks.

State House said the two leaders will discuss subjects of mutual interest to Kenya and Somalia.

This comes after a Kenyan delegation led by Foreign Affairs Minister Raychelle Omamo held talks with the Somalia Prime Minister in Mogadishu on Sunday.

According to a press statement from the prime minister’s office, the neighboring states, whose ties have not been on a strong footing for several months, agreed to cement their relations particularly in the areas of diplomacy, trade and security.

The statement further added that Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta extended an invitation for Somalia’s prime minister to visit Nairobi.

Somalia has underscored that an existing maritime dispute between both nations will be decided by The Hague-based International Court of Justice, or ICJ, despite several requests by Kenya to reach a settlement out of court.

Mogadishu had severed diplomatic ties with Nairobi in December of last year over claims of Kenyan political interference in Somalia’s affairs, an accusation denied by Nairobi. The diplomatic ties have since been restored as the two nations work on improving their relations.

Kenya is among countries that have contributed to the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia to fight armed group al-Shabab since a Kenyan troop incursion into southern Somalia in late 2011.