Diplomatic ties between Kenya and Somalia appear to be getting frositer.
This as Kenyan nationals travelling to Somalia will now need to obtain visas before arriving, the Immigration department has announced.
In a statement dated December 7, it said, "In line with the Federal government's policy of ensuring security, improving migration management and reducing the risks of Covid-19 Infections, from December 13, 2020, all Kenyan passport holders traveling to the territory of the Federal Republic of Somalia are obliged to obtain visas from Somali embassies."
Previously, Kenyans were required to obtain visas on arrival in Somalia.
Diplomatic passport holders are now required to have an approval from the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Federal Government, it said.
The department said any traveler with a Kenyan passport that does not adhere to the policy will be denied entry.
Last week, Somalia said that it was expelling Kenya's Ambassador Lucas Tumbo and recalling its own envoy from Nairobi.
Mogadishu cited what it termed as the Kenyan government's interference in its internal and political affairs.
"The federal government of Somalia expresses it regret in the government of Kenya's overt and blatant interferences in the internal and political affairs of Somalia which has the potential to be a hindrance to stability," a statement from Somalia's foreign ministry said.
This is just one of the many diplomatic tiffs that have hit the two East African nations with the major one being the Indian Ocean maritime dispute.
