NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya has reopened its land border with Somalia for the trade in miraa, or khat, ending a 15-year suspension in a move officials cast as a landmark step for regional commerce and rural livelihoods.
The decision, cleared by Kenya’s National Security Council, immediately restores road access for miraa exports through Mandera, Liboi and Kiunga — key crossing points that had been closed to overland shipments. Traders say the reopening will cut costs, expand market reach and curb the influence of cartels that thrived when exports were limited to costly air freight from Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport during the closure.
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The shift is poised to lift incomes across eastern Meru County, the heartland of Kenya’s miraa-growing belt. The Nyambene Miraa Farmers and Traders Association welcomed the move as bold and long overdue. Its chairman, Kimathi Munjuri, said that before the closure, more than 20 tonnes of miraa moved across the border daily, valued at about 5 million Kenyan shillings ($39,000). With road access restored, industry players expect volumes to rebound and margins to improve for smallholders and transporters alike.
Kenya’s Agriculture and Food Authority said the government is rolling out enhanced security measures along reopened corridors to protect traders, drivers and cargo. Director General Bruno Linyiru said further details on implementation will be announced soon. Officials did not specify timelines or the nature of new protocols but indicated coordination with local authorities and national security agencies would underpin the resumption of cross-border traffic.
Somalia remains the largest export market for Kenyan miraa, making the reopening critical for thousands of farmers, brokers and market workers on both sides of the border. Merchants said road transport will restore reliability and speed to a trade built on freshness and timeliness, while reducing the logistical bottlenecks that had squeezed supply and inflated prices during the airlift-only era.
Years of dependence on flights raised costs and concentrated power among a handful of exporters able to secure cargo space and licenses, traders said. The reopening of land routes is expected to widen participation and improve price discovery across the supply chain, from farm gates in Nyambene to markets in Somalia’s cities and towns.
Authorities emphasized that security and compliance will be central to sustaining the new arrangement, given the sensitivity of border operations and the value of shipments. Trade groups urged the government to publish clear guidelines on permits, inspection points and allowed hours of movement to ensure that the transition back to road exports is orderly and predictable.
As the sector recalibrates, farmers and transporters are preparing for longer operating hours, increased demand for packaging and loading services, and renewed competition among route operators. Market participants cautioned that early weeks could be marked by congestion at reopened posts as processes are refined, but said the long-term payoff — lower costs, faster turnaround and broader market access — will outweigh near-term frictions.
Kenyan officials framed the reopening as part of a broader effort to normalize cross-border trade, deepen regional ties and stimulate rural economies. With miraa back on the road, stakeholders say the immediate focus is safe passage, stable rules and predictable timetables — the basic ingredients of a trade that ripples quickly through household budgets across Meru and into markets in Somalia.
- Border posts now open for miraa trade: Mandera, Liboi, Kiunga
- Key beneficiaries: growers and traders in eastern Meru region
- Primary market: Somalia, the largest buyer of Kenyan miraa
- Government stance: security measures in place; more implementation details pending
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
