Kenya and Ethiopia are opening up their volatile border to more trade as they seek to improve community relations, ease inter-ethnic tensions to reduce demand for small arms and disrupt one of the main routes of illicit small arms coming into East Africa.

Illicit small arms trade in the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes region has been one of the main drivers of crime across East Africa and has sustained organised criminal networks like cattle rustlers and urban robbers.

The result has been underdevelopment of certain regions in all affected countries as local and foreign investors shun crime infested areas while businesses spend heavily on security.

Kenya officials this week cited the success of newly constructed and refurbished Magado and Sololo livestock markets near Mandera that have enabled border communities to increase their engagement through trade a fact that has helped reduce tensions.

The markets for instance offer a formalised opportunity for communities to trade in camels some of which are exported to Egypt.

“The markets are serving the communities well and we have seen peace dividends,” said Orwa Ojode, Kenya’s Assistant Minister for Internal Security. He said such joint projects will continue as the two countries explore means of building confidence along the border.

The refurbishment of the livestock markets was done under the joint peace strategy that extends to joint sporting activities as the region seeks to lower its risk profile in time for joint infrastructure projects like the Lamu Port and the Kenya-Ethiopia power line.

“The overall intention of the two governments working closer is to reduce demand for illicit arms. People will not need to kill each other when they have an opportunity to create wealth through trading or undertake joint activities like sports,” said Martin Kimani, the head of Conflict Early Warning and Response Mechanism, a regional body on peace building under the Inter Governmental Authority on Development.

Relations between Kenya and Ethiopia had been cordial since pre-Independence times when Ethiopians fighting Italian invasion received their supplies from the Kenyan side. Later, the Mau Mau also received supplies from Ethiopians and retreated to Ethiopia to evade aerial British bombings.

In 1974 when the communist regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam took power from Haile Selassie I, relations took a nose dive to the extent that at one time, secessionist Ethiopian rebel group the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) freely operated from Kenyan territory.

Then, the shared border became a flashpoint of cross-border attacks some of which were financed by transnational criminals stealing livestock for onward sale to the Middle East and Egypt through the Port of Djibouti.

“I see the rapprochement as a deliberate attempt by Kenya to build a stronger Eastern African region. The two countries face near similar problems, the shared border is characterised by low human development indicators,” said Macharia Munene, an international relations teacher at the United States International University in Nairobi.

“There are many opportunities; like the wind power potential in this region that can benefit the whole of East Africa and opportunities for irrigation to make the countries food sufficient. But as the two countries are doing, it is important first to invest in the concerned communities to create harmony,” said Prof Munene.

The rapprochement between the two countries that has picked up since 2008 is expected to help the increase the volume and value of trade that has remained stagnant for many decades.

For example, in 2010, Kenyan exports to Ethiopia stood at US$43.1 million compared to exports of US$53.7 million in 2008, while Ethiopia exports to Kenya stood at US$2.4 million in 2010 compared to 2008 exports worth US$2.5 million.

“These numbers are indeed a shame. We should correct them as soon as possible,” said Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi when he visited Nairobi in March to inaugurate the Lamu Port and sign a special trade agreement with Kenya.

The agreement envisages elimination of barriers faced by their respective business communities. “We need a pact that addresses specific Kenyan and Ethiopian issues. We are not worried about the pact favouring either country. We are open to ideas on how to develop trade between the two countries,” Zenawi said.

At a higher level, the planned trade pact is a welcome relief to Kenyan businesses that have face difficulties in penetrating the Ethiopian market where prices of some commodities are controlled and government restricts foreign ownership in some sectors. At one time, Kenya had to turn to COMESA, of which Ethiopia is a member to soften Addis Ababa to restricted administrative trade barriers.

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