The President of the Republic of Somaliland His Excellency Muse Bihi Abdi has departed today from Egal Internal Airport heading to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
A statement from the President’s Spokesman Mr. Mahamoud Warsame Jama stated that the visit is similar to previous visits by President to neighboring countries and that the President will meet with African leaders in Addis but did not elaborate on the purpose on this previously undisclosed visit.
Mr. Jama added that Somaliland’s Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hon. Yasin Hagi Mohamoud Hiir (Faratoon) was already in Addis on diplomacy related matters.
According to Mr. Jama, the President’s delegation to Addis Ababa consists of the Ministers of Agricultural Development Hon. Ahmed Mumin Seed, the Minister of Livestock and Fisheries Development Hon. Saeed Sulub Mohamed, the Minister of Somaliland Minister Of Parliament Coordination And Constitutional Affairs Hon. Mohamed Haji Adan Elmi and President’s Economic Adviser Mr. Osman Sheikh Ahmed.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed received at his office today the President of the Somaliland Administration H.E. Muse Bihi Abdi and his delegation. The two parties discussed on a number of key issues of mutual interest.
It has been exactly two months since the President of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi reshuffled his cabinet and appointed Hon. Ahmed Mohamed Diriye Egeh the Minister of Education and Science.
Minister of Education and Science Hon. Ahmed Mohamed Diriye Egeh
In this relatively short period, Hon Egeh has uncovered a major discrepancy in the official staff headcount of the ministry, specifically in the number of employees were in the hand-off documents and those that were submitted by the ministry’s Administration and Finance and Human Resources departments for payroll.
Region/Office
Human Resources
Administration
Difference
%
Gabiley
500
558
58
10.4
Maroodi Jeex (West)
1,052
920
-132
-14.3
Togdheer
765
1,105
340
30.8
Headquarters
347
364
17
4.7
According to internal ministry memos detailing the conflicting staff headcount, which as high as 30.8% in the Togdheer region, the minister has halted payroll for all regions in question and the Ministry headquarters until his subordinates provide satisfactory answers for the discrepancy.
It is unclear why the ministry has three conflicting headcounts for its staff and why it was not noticed before the arrival of Hon Egeh just two months ago.
Although the Civil Service Commission has completed an official headcount of government workforce as part of a 10 million dollars World Bank-funded project, it has failed to address the minister’s basic question of how many staffers work at the Ministry of Education and Science.
Former Civil Service Commissioner Mr. Sharmarke Geele giving ghost worker list to former Ministry of Finance Minister Mr. Yusuf Mohamed Abdi
The Civil Service Commission has claimed to have purged some 1200 ghost workers from the government payroll at the end of the headcount project.
The internal memos show that the Minister may reach out to the Civil Service Commission and the Auditor General to help look into these issues.
Asked about their view of the Minister, an employee described him as “a personification of righteous retribution upon the corrupt in our ministry, they can’t fool him, he is exactly the right man for the job.”.
“He is attention to detail at his level is exceptional; he will pick out a needle in a haystack of numbers. He is just getting started.” Said a former coworker who worked with him at the Ministry of Planning and National Development.
The internal memos show the minister’s no-nonsense tone to get answers, and his detailed analysis of the current state of affairs shows a man with a knack for crunching numbers into early morning hours to make decisions, a rarity among the current crop of administration officials.
Former MoE Minister Mr.Osman Jama Adam
Former MoE Deputy Minister Mr. Mohamed Dahir
There has been an audit that was ordered by the President to look into an allegation of corruption at the Ministry of Education and Science before the arrival of the Hon. Egeh and although both the Minister and his Deputy were both replaced the audit findings were not made public.
MoE Director General Mr. Ahmed Abokor
The Director-General, Mr. Ahmed Abokor has also been implicated in corruption in the past while working for Save the Children on projects for the Ministry of Education and Science. According to sources, Mr. Abokor has been terminated by SCF as a result of those allegations.
Shortly after his termination from SCF, he was appointed as Director-General Ministry of Education and Science in former President Ahmed Mohamoud Silanyo’s administration and President Bihi has kept him on.
Mr. Abokor had a short stint at the Ministry of Investments and was part of a team that worked on a billion-dollar deal with a non-existent Chinese Bank but has since successfully lobbied the President for reassignment back to the Ministry of Education and Science.
As confirmation of an in-depth review of the Ministry’s operations and direction, on a separate memo, the minister has ordered the immediate halt to ongoing pilot registration of primary/intermediate students for the JPLG project for further review and clarification of objectives.
Although he is too new to evaluate, the Minister’s genuine desire to properly evaluate and bring about reform is on a collision course with entrenched interest and corruption and success depends on how much the President, who ran on an anti-corruption platform, will support his action.
Repeated attempt to speak with Hon Egeh about the staff discrepancy, payroll freeze, JPLG, and other reform items on his agenda has been unsuccessful.
In December 2019, a group of Russian military age males applied for visas in Djibouti’s Moscow Consulate on separate dates and on brand new passports. The same group of men arrived in Djibouti on the same day and applied for Somaliland visas.
Vladmir Babkov, Maksim Grishin, Anton Putekhov and Dmitry Shtanko travelled to Djibouti and immediately flew to Hargeisa, Somaliland via Air Djibouti.
According to sources, after a short stay in Hargeisa, the gentlemen proceeded to Berbera where they spent the bulk of their time in Somaliland and even chartered a boat to the west of Berbera all the way to Zeila.
Search of the men’s identities reveals little except that one of them is using the name of a famous Russian MMA fighters while others seems to be generic Russian names.
Sources added that their passports were new and seemed to have been issued within 2 months of one another.
Kremlin interest in Africa and Somaliland has been widely reports recently and Somaliland and its strategic coast would give Russia a much needed foothold on Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Somaliland government officials declined to comment on what they know about the visit.
In less than two years, Berbera Port Authorities have purchased a second tugboat for the bustling Berbera port.
In a statement on his facebook page the Port Manager Mr. Saeed Hassan Abdillahi announced the purchase of the tugboat and added that the purchase was facilitated by P&O Maritime.
The Port Managers statement stated that the purchase of the tugboat is fully funded by the government of Somaliland.
Capacity of Berbera Port has increased significantly and is expected to handle more traffic once the ongoing expansion by DP World currently underway is concluded.
No details of the new tugboat was provided and attempts to reach the Port Manager were unsuccessful.
A Delegation of Somaliland Government officials led by the the Vice President HE Abdirahman Abdallahi Ismail Saylici signed a €7.5 Million with the European Union Representatives in Berbera.
@NBerlangaEU together with HE @VPsomaliland today inaugurated the Berbera Urban Development Project, at the coastal city of Berbera. The project will support inclusive local governance, urban waste management, and livelihood and entrepreneurship for the locals.@UNHabitat_Sompic.twitter.com/WA3MIpdbkr
Berbera Urban Development Project is funded from the European Development Fund (EDF) under the Regional Indicative Programme (RIP) 2014-2020 for Eastern Africa, Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean.
According to a statement released by the EU, the project support inclusive and sustainable development of the coastal city through strengthening the capacity of the municipality in urban planning, improving the waste management system as well as stimulating employment and entrepreneurship for urban communities.
Among other investment in infrastructure, the project includes the construction of a network of 20kms of feeder roads that will also connect to a new dumpsite, as well as internal roads within prioritized community areas in Berbera.
Berbera Municipality and its Mayor Mr. Abdishakur Mohamoud Iddin has been widely praised for their work on the roads and local infrastructure. Berbera is also home to Somaliland’s major port currently managed and upgraded by DP World.
According to government records examined by Somaliland Chronicle, Somaliland government officials spent more than $765,000.00 on travel-related expenses on 2019.
There is no sufficient information to determine if the travel activity is business-related, but many of the records we examined show officials frequent travel to countries where their families live. Many officials have embarked on a European tour, sometimes traveling to London, Sweden, and Germany for no specific reason while using taxpayer funds.
Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Livestock Development Ms Yurub Abib Abdi (Right) with former Somaliland UK Representative
Late last year, the Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Livestock Development Ms. Yurub Abib Abdi spent 35 days in the UK for unspecified official business although she has attended many welcome parties, she has not disclosed the nature or outcome of her long visit. Ms. Abdi’s per diem alone exceeded $10,000 US Dollars.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has outspent every government agency, including the Presidency coming in at a whopping 26% of the $765,000 with the Minister and few department heads doing most of the traveling.
Expenses include flight and a standard $300 daily per diem allowance.
The Head of the Protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Mr. Abdirisak Mohamed Saeed (Gees) has traveled to Turkey frequently with unspecified official business as the justification.
Sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation point to a strong connection between Mr. Abdirisak Mohamed Saeed (Gees) and the Turkish Consulate in Hargeisa with one official describing him as the Gatekeeper of Turkish Visas.
It is unclear how current and former government officials can afford a lavish lifestyle in Turkey, many including Mr. Abdirisak Mohamed Saeed (Gees) have been confirmed to own properties and have moved their families from Somaliland to Turkey.
Records show that the former Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has approved questionable travel expenses totaling $11,588 for various employees for unspecified counter-piracy activity in London. Records include letters issued by the Counter-Piracy Coordination office’s Executive Director authorizing for himself and others.
One official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation who spoke on background stated that very few staffers always go on official trips and that knowledge transfer of any kind is ever conducted by these frequent flier staffers.
While many of the records we have examined seem legitimate and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation is the biggest spender in this category, there are questionable travel expenses across all Somaliland ministries and agencies that seem entirely unnecessary or are conducted for personal reasons.
Hargeisa Group Hospital (HGH) is the National hospital in the Republic of Somaliland and also the teaching hospital for medical universities in Hargeisa. It is the largest hospital in Hargeisa where many patients visit to seek medical attention.
The hospital’s capacity to deliver medical services is critically low due to the limited number of qualified medical practitioners and the lack of life-saving equipment.
Following the trend in other countries, there has been a veritable explosion of medical negligence cases in the past months in Somaliland and the main referral hospital in Hargeisa. Yesterday and in the past two months, three patients have lost their lives due to lack of oxygen and medical negligence.
The whopping number of claim cases filed against Hargeisa Group Hospital is a major headache for the authorities now. Reports suggest that these allegations have increased by leaps and bounds over the past few months.
Today some of the top directors from Hargeisa Hospital have expressed their concerns about the falling standards of group hospital health care. A prominent weakness of the Hargeisa Group Hospital health care system is the absence any regulatory body on medical mistakes and equipment importation and utilization. While disappointing outcomes of treatable diseases are mainly attributing to the poor quality of imported drugs and unqualified medical practitioners.
When a person visits the doctor’s office or the emergency room of a hospital, they are entitled to receive a certain standard of medical care. Unfortunately, the standard of this “medical care” varies greatly and especially between the public and privately owned hospital. In the most extreme incidences, the very hands that are supposing to be helping a patient can ultimately become the cause of their death.
The Ministry of Health has never developed a core health care services package nor assesses the resources and infrastructure needed to deliver them. The Ministry’s main issue is a cumbersome management structure that does not have any oversight on hospitals.
Finally, what is urgently needed is a top-down review of the conditions at public and private hospitals, a comprehensive medical framework that guides medical practitioners in minimizing malpractice and helps our legal system process legitimate claims when patients are hurt.
About the Author Mohamed Shueb Ahmed is a healthcare activist and a former member of Hargeisa Group Hospital staff. Mr. Ahmed is the Advocacy and Media manager for Somali Women in Global Health
Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints of Somaliland Chronicle and it’s staff.
The President of the Republic of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi has reshuffled his administration today for the fifth time since taking office two years ago.
President Bihi reshuffled 9 positions at multiple agencies including the Ministry of Environment and Rural Development, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ministry of Energy and Minerals, Ministry of Water Development, Quality Control Agency, National Tender Board, Aviation and Airports and the Good Governance and Anti-Corruption Commission.
Although the Presidency does not state a reason for such sweeping changes, 8 our of 9 appointees are Director Generals from various ministries. Director General’s are the day to day manager’s of an agency’s operation.
The latest changes did not affect the Ministry of Health Development or Hargeisa Group Hospital which has been in the news the last two days due to a scandal involving the death of a child for lack of oxygen.
Request for information on President Bihi’s latest changes to his administration and what prompted it and if it were not answered by the President’s office.
Somaliland Government executed six male death row inmates today in the early morning hours by firing squad. A brief statement from the Attorney General’s office confirmed names of the executes inmates and gave brief information of their next of kin and their victims.
Somaliland under its law and Islamic Sharia has the death penalty for murder, and although rarely carried out, due process issues has been raised in the past by Human Rights groups.
An out of court monetary settlement known as “mag” paid by perpetrator clan to the victim’s is a common in Somaliland.
According to sources, Somaliland has the beginnings of a crime scene expertise currently funded by the UK government but relies on eyewitness testimony and confession for murder convictions.
On twitter EU Ambassador to Somalia Mr. Nicolas Berlanga expressed the EU’s opposition to death penalty in all circumstances.
Security, elections, debt relief, rule of law, development… we all know the number of challenges to overcome. The EU holds a strong and principled position against the death penalty in all circumstances and for all cases https://t.co/nsMLtAfPXP
Somaliland Vice President HE Abdirahman Abdallahi Ismail Saylici has officially launched a new service called E-Shilling that will be used to electronically direct deposit public servent’s employees in accounts in Somaliland Central Bank.
The new service is a joint operation by Somaliland Central Bank and Civil Service Commission and is being launched as a pilot on select government agencies including the Ministry of Finance and others.
According to the information shared by government officials who attended the unveiling ceremony, the new cashless service will solve logistical issues associated with distribution of large quantities of cash for public servants and will have the added benefit of reducing corruption, although, how the system will achieve the last point was not elaborated by the officials.
The service will enable public servants to receive their salaries on time and will have the ability to transfer to existing electronic currency platforms such as Dahabshiil’s e-Dahab and Telesom’s ZAAD.
The two largest telecom companies of SOMTEL and TELESOM are partners in the program.
Once fully functional, the program is expected to bring in a large customer base for Somaliland Central Bank and according to the Minister of Finance Mr. Saad Ali Shire, should help employees save a portion of their salaries.
