Farmajo given heroic reception in Nairobi amid Kenya-Somalia diplomatic row

Despite the deteriorating diplomatic ties between Somalia and Kenya, President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo was on Monday given reception befitting his status at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Garowe Online reports.

The Somalia leader has been at loggerheads with Kenya for months now, with a controversial victory of Jubaland leader Ahmed Madobe and Indian Ocean maritime dispute contributing largely to the standoff.

But upon arrival at JKIA, Farmajo was received by Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia and Air Force Commander Major General Francis Ogolla, an indication that the relationship between the two nations remains intact.

Thereafter, the Somalia President inspected a military parade at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport before leaving in the company of the two and Somalia ambassador to Nairobi Mohamed Nur.

Farmajo will be attending United Nations Population Fund conference dubbed International Population and Development (ICPD) in Nairobi that commenced today (Monday).

The reception at JKIA is a total contrast of the recent display by the two nations which saw their ambassadors recalled over the Indian Ocean maritime dispute in March this year.

So thorny has been the matter that Farmajo snubbed JKIA in June this year while leaving South Africa, opting to use Dar es Salaam International Airport after accusing Kenya of antagonism.

In September, both President Uhuru Kenyatta and Farmajo met at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York but their meeting did not yield fruits.