I recently got an opportunity to attend a conference in Mogadishu, the capital of Somali. Visits to Somalia provide the ultimate adrenaline thrill, it is also one of the most under-reported countries, owing to the insecurity.
Eleven Somali journalists have been killed in the past two years only, largely in south-central Somalia, which includes Mogadishu and the port city of Kismayu.
My flight was departing on Sunday at 9am from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport unlike previous trips which were via the Wilson Airport.
We got delayed for half an hour and with no explanations being offered, some angry passengers would occasionally shout at the cabin crew. It felt like being in a public service vehicle.
An hour and a half later, we landed in Mogadishu. The runway at Aden Adde Airport is just next to the Indian Ocean, and as the aircraft starts the descend, you get beautiful vistas of the Indian Ocean on one side and the city on the other.
Our arrival was, however, not without drama. As my colleagues got to the immigration counter, they were asked for entry permits on top of the $60 visa fee.
We didn’t have the former because we never needed the document before. Apparently the regulations have changed and now every foreigner must apply for an entry permit at the Somali embassy in their home country.
The immigration officer would hear none of our pleas despite presenting our letters on invitation to the event, and our hotel vouching for us as booked guests.
We were cleared two hours later, and a bribe of $50 paid to the airport officials to release our luggage — which had already been marked for return to Nairobi.
Green Zone
Our accommodation, Airport Hotel, is hardly seven months old, and is in the precincts of the airport, in the area known as the Green Zone. Unlike downtown Mogadishu, the Green Zone is relatively safe and is undergoing a construction boom.
The roads are tarmacked but narrow and although they drive on the right side of the road, both left hand and right hand drive cars are allowed.
Kenya and China are building new embassies in the Green Zone where the British and US governments already have theirs. Several United Nations agencies are also based here. These developments point to a brighter future.