At a joint press conference in Nairobi, the two leaders told journalists that the main topics of discussion were security matters along the common borders and the progress made toward containing the threat of terrorist cells in the region thus far.
The Somalia Premier requested to meet with Mr. Odinga on Thursday, just before the two leaders went into a closed door meeting with their security chiefs.
Somali Prime Minister said the United Nations and the African Union have preferred to host Somalia peace meetings outside the war-torn country for security reasons since the onset of the conflict. He stated that in the past, none of these meetings have been fruitful; therefore, his government wishes for the upcoming UN-proposed consultative Somali meeting in Nairobi to be relocated to Mogadishu.
Somali Prime Minster reported that Mr. Raila Odinga assured him that the Kenyan government will support the Somali request to the UN and AU for the relocation of the meeting to Mogadishu. Additionally, Mr. Odinga reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to do everything possible to ensure that peace is restored to the troubled nation.
During the upcoming UN-sponsored meeting (of which the date is not yet determined), various Somali groups will review efforts to achieve peace, security, and reconciliation in the strife-torn nation; the country has lacked a stable government throughout the last two decades of conflict.
Participating groups are expected to develop a plan to end the transition in Somalia. They will also discuss possible ways to nurture a democratic political arrangement before the expiry of the TFG administration in August.
The TFG was established under the Transitional Federal Charter as a temporary governance structure.
In a recent meeting, Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi and Kenyan counterpart Raila Odinga discussed issues related to security, especially regarding the ongoing government military operations against Al-shabab militants in towns on the Kenya-Somali border