Once known as the hot bed of Al-Shabaab militants, the port town of Kismayo is now under Kenya Defense Forces troops, operating in the Southern Sector with Somalia National Army, reports the Standard.
In 2012, KDF troops liberated the town which gave Al-Shabaab negotiating powers over the peace keeping troops, given that it was used as entry point to the war torn country.
Six years later, businesses have resumed with KDF taking charge of all security operations. This, it has emerged, allows residents to work smoothly without threats by the militants.
Kismayo has a new airport named Sayid Mohammed Abdule Hassan Airport after a Somali liberation hero. On the way to the old airport that was abandoned after the Al Shabaab were flushed out, the streets are bustling with commercial activities.
According to, Lieutenant Colonel, the commanding officer of 2nd Mechanised Infantry Battalion based in Kismayu, Meshack Kishoyian, the city fills up at night.
“It’s also the month of Ramadhan and people will be breaking their fasts,” he says.
At the port of Kismayu, heavily loaded pickups and trucks roar in and out. Ahmed Haji Adan Kismayo, the port manager, credits Kenyan troops with restoring order.
“They sacrificed their lives for us,” says Aden.
The manger has however, raised concerns over possible exit of KDF, arguing that the move would see Al-Shabaab resurfacing to intimidate locals who have enjoyed relative peace under KDF.
Kenya and Somalia are embroiled in a diplomatic standoff over oil fields along Indian Ocean maritime. The two countries are due to face off at the International Court of Justice over the row.