President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday held talks with his Somalia counterpart Mohammed Farmaajo days after it emerged that Kenya had moved to The Hague to seek for extension of maritime border case.
Reports indicate that President Uhuru asked Kenyan legal team to apply for more time at International Court of Justice for the hearing of the case, which was recently postponed to November 8th.
Kenya had her request to AU to have Somalia withdraw the case rejected, with the African Union maintaining that the matter can only be handled by the two countries.
While Somalia is ready to have the controversial Indian Ocean maritime dispute handled, Kenya is yet again asking for more time despite having been given an extension of two months from September.
"Somalia is awaiting communication from the Court about the new development,” the source who sought anonymity told Goobjoog News.
Details about the meeting between the two leaders in New York remain scanty. Farmaajo's administration has been shunning Kenya lately, accusing Nairobi of bullying the war torn nation.
Last week, a furious Al-Shabaab commander Ahmed Umar, in 20-minute audio, accused Kenya of plotting with US to grab the disputed area from Somalia.
The commander, who has been in the hideouts since 2016, hinted that Al-Shabaab may not be interested after all with ICJ ruling, an indication that they could forcefully occupy the waters.
"We are informing our Muslim nation that the Mujahideen will never accept, and are against any decision made by the so-called International Criminal Court," said Umar.
"We tell the world that we don't compromise on our oceans and we need our society to be aware that Kenya has already engulfed a large swathe of our territory before aiming for the maritime claim."
Al-Shabaab considers that part of north-eastern Kenya -- historically inhabited by ethnic Somalis -- should be returned to Somalia.
Since Kenyan forces deployed to Somalia in 2011, the Shabaab have carried out several deadly attacks on its soil, the latest on January 15 against an office complex housing the Dusit hotel, which left 21 dead.
Already, Majority Leader Aden Duale wants KDF troops deployed in the disputed Indian Ocean border, a move that could further heighten political differences between Nairobi and Mogadishu.