Kenya and Somalia officially began maritime boundary negotiations in 2009, and in 2014, Somalia submitted the dispute to the International Court of Justice. Kenya’s maritime boundary claim followed a parallel of latitude extending due east from the two States’ land boundary terminus. Somalia claimed an equidistance-based maritime boundary.

The Court issued its Judgment on 12 October 2021. The maritime boundary delimitation represents a compromise between both States’ positions. It follows an equidistance line through the territorial sea before continuing along an azimuth into the extended continental shelf area. The Kenya–Somalia maritime boundary extends for over 205 nautical miles in a southeasterly direction.

Kenya and Somalia also share a land boundary.