Mogadishu (SD) – The Minister of Planning of the Federal Government of Somalia, Jamal Mohamed Hassan, said in an interview that the Somali government has banned the holding of meetings in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, as tensions between the two countries escalate.

The minister clarified the meetings that the Somali government is banning in Nairobi are related to Somalia, especially aid to Somalia, which was previously held in that country.

“The aid agencies in Somalia are all based in Nairobi and the Kenyan Government received lot of funding from hosting seminars and conferences that cost millions of dollars,” he said

The minister also noted that the Somali government has made lots of efforts to relocate aid and relief agencies from Nairobi, which used to be a hub for Somalia, he said.

Minister Jamaal underlined that the large sums of money spent on Nairobi conferences is invested in to the country, creating much needed jobs for Somali citizens.

He described the move as a significant achievement that all aid agencies are now operating in Somalia, as they have relocated their headquarters from Nairobi to Mogadishu, and have been operational for the past three years, he said.

The move is said to be part of tensions between Somalia and Kenya, which have escalated in recent days after the government sent Kenyan ambassador home, accusing Nairobi of meddling in Somalia’s affairs.