Kajiado Governor Joseph Ole Lenku today landed in Somaliland for a rare visit in a Country that has an unstoppable mission to be recognized as a sovereign state.

The Governor is the senior most Kenyan politician who arrived in Somaliland’s Capital, Hargeisa, accompanied by Rosemary Odinga, daughter to former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, as well as Mandera Senator Mohamed Mohamud and other dignitaries.

Somaliland Ambassador to Kenya Bashe Omar organized the leaders visit and confirmed they were invited as “Friends of Somaliland in Kenya”.

Somaliland is located on the Red Sea/ Gulf of Aden and is an important gateway between Africa and the Gulf Countries.

A communiqué from the Embassy shows that the delegation will attend the opening of Berbera Port Complex which was built at a cost of Ksh 45 Billion by an United Arab Emirates investor, Dubai Ports World.

“The investor has expanded and modernized the facilities and port infrastructure. It is an important project that will ease the export and import business between Africa and the Gulf Countries,” said Omar

The Ambassador also confirmed that the Kenyan delegation will be special guests at the Pre-Independence Day State Banquet dinner hosted by Somaliland President Musa Bihi Abdi at the Presidential Palace in Hargeisa.

Mr Lenku is expected to address the guests at the dinner set to be attended by international investors who have been supportive of Somaliland’s autonomy as a State, away from the chaotic Somalia.

Governor Lenku’s visit comes 6 months after President Abdi was hosted at State House in Nairobi by President Kenyatta in a diplomatic trip in mid-December last year.

The trip was aimed at continuing to lobby Kenya to support Somaliland in its quest to be recognized as a State by international bodies such as the African Union and IGAD.

The visit was also meant to cooperate with Kenya on matters such as education, immigration, and investment.

Kenya has so far shown keen interest to support Somaliland following its functioning political system and economic strategies that are regarded progressive in the troubled Horn of Africa region.

Somaliland, unlike Somalia, has a stable Government and was given independence by Britain on June 26, 1960.

On Saturday, it will mark 61 years of Independence.

Several years after Independence, Somaliland, and Somalia (which had been colonized by Italy) voluntarily joined a merger before the former bolted out to chart its own path as an autonomous state.