President Abdirahman Irro Meets with Raila Odinga in Nairobi
By: Mohamed Duale, Horn Diplomat
NAIROBI, June 3 (HORNDIPLOMAT) – Somaliland President Dr Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi Irro met former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, President William Ruto, and key international diplomats in Nairobi this week as part of a diplomatic push to advance Somaliland’s case for international recognition.
Irro, who took office earlier this year, has launched a wide-ranging diplomatic initiative aimed at strengthening Somaliland’s regional relationships and amplifying its calls for sovereign recognition.
His meeting with Odinga, held on June 2 at the former prime minister’s residence in Karen, Nairobi, was described as both a farewell engagement and a strategic dialogue on regional development and statehood aspirations. Odinga, widely regarded as a senior statesman on the continent, has long expressed support for Somaliland’s right to self-determination.
“I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the esteemed African statesman, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, for the gracious farewell dinner hosted in my honour and that of my delegation,” President Irro said in a statement. “Your unwavering support for Somaliland’s aspiration to claim its rightful place among the community of nations is deeply appreciated.”
On May 29, President Irro held a formal meeting with Kenyan President William Ruto at State House, where the two leaders discussed key areas of cooperation, including trade, air connectivity, regional security, and education. According to Somaliland officials, the talks reaffirmed a long-standing partnership rooted in shared values and mutual respect.
In a separate engagement, Irro convened a diplomatic dialogue with selected members of the international community based in Nairobi. The meeting included ambassadors, deputy heads of mission, and senior representatives from the United Nations, World Bank, African Development Bank, and countries with established working relationships with Somaliland.
During the dialogue, President Irro laid out a governance and development agenda focused on peace consolidation, institutional capacity-building, and inclusive economic growth. He also presented Somaliland’s initiative to integrate community-based security forces into a unified national command structure—an effort international partners praised as a model of locally led peacebuilding in the Horn of Africa.
Following President Irro’s formal inauguration of Somaliland’s Diplomatic office in Nairobi on May 29, his series of high-level meetings highlight his administration’s diplomatic momentum and commitment to positioning Somaliland as a constructive and stable regional partner.
Since taking office in December 2024, President Irro has launched a major diplomatic engagement strategy, strengthening ties with the United Arab Emirates, Djibouti, and Kenya, with plans to expand cooperation with Ethiopia and the United States in the near future.
Somaliland, which regained its statehood from the Somali Republic in 1991, operates with well-established government institutions and is steadily advancing its case for formal recognition by the international community.
