Somali Ambassador Denies Tarsan’s Allegations over Embassy Construction Conflict in Kenya
Nairobi (AX) — The plot thickens in the legal wrangle between Somalia’s Nairobi embassy and a Kenyan builder following the court’s decision to keep the embassy’s bank accounts frozen.
An insider shed light on the origins of the relationship between the Somali embassy and Kingsley Construction Limited, which brought a lawsuit against the Somali government for breaching their contract.
Back in 2015, figures such as Former Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid and Former Somali Ambassador Gamal Mohamed Hassan, along with other Somali dignitaries, kicked off the project to reconstruct the embassy in Nairobi. The Somali business community in Kenya pooled together $100,000 to get the ball rolling, awarding the contract to Kingsley Construction Limited, an Indian-owned firm. Within a year, elections in Somalia saw the contractor plunging $300,000 into the project, on top of the initial $100,000 from community fundraisers, an insider revealed to AX.
Fast forward to 2016, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, then-Foreign Affairs Minister Abdusalam Hadliye, and various top-tier officials visited the embassy during Mohamud’s first tenure. Photos and diplomatic reports from the visit suggested progress, although some, including a former Kenyan Ambassador, claimed the construction wasn’t complete when the President dropped by.
In 2018, Mohamed Ahmed Noor Tarsan took over as the Somali Ambassador to Kenya. Recently, in a chat with a local online outlet, Tarsan denied that $300,000 was spent on the embassy’s redo. “I wanted to see it completed, but funds were lacking,” Tarsan explained. “I got a call from Fathudin Ali Mohamed, now the Somali Ambassador to Turkey, saying the embassy owed $200,000 to a building firm. When I checked, there was no progress on-site. He told me the community had met and given the contract to an Indian businessman,” Tarsan elaborated.
Tarsan claimed that the company barely scratched the surface of the project, stating less than 10% was done, contrary to diplomatic sources who believed it was almost 80% complete. They noted that Fathudin Ali Mohamed was involved in the Somali business community.
On his Facebook page, current Somali Ambassador to Kenya, Fathudin Ali Mohamed, rebutted Tarsan’s accusations. “I know Ambassador Tarsan’s slanderous claims are meant to tarnish my reputation,” he posted. “To protect my duties, I consulted national leaders and my lawyer. Knowing that Tarsan’s accusations are baseless, I am taking legal action,” he wrote.
Tarsan asserted he revitalized the embassy with a fresh $320,000 budget: $100,000 from the Somali community and $220,000 from the former government under Prime Minister Khaire. “Five construction firms, including two Somali, Kenyan, and Indian companies, bid for the contract after we advertised. We chose the firm that could do the job with the budget. We built a splendid embassy. With community support, we also constructed a mosque and residence as I had been living in a hotel for two and a half years. The mosque was funded by the community, and the embassy paid for the residence,” he added.
In 2019, as the Somali embassy embarked on the second phase of rebuilding, Kingsley Construction Limited dragged the Somali government to court for violating the 2016 contract by restricting access and failing to clear Sh25.6 million ($198,414) dues. Previously, the court sided with Kingsley Construction after the embassy failed to defend the case.
The embassy filed an appeal but earlier this week, Justice Alfred Mabeya of the High Court dismissed Somalia’s Attorney General’s application, asserting that Somalia couldn’t hide behind diplomatic immunity to dodge obligations in commercial disputes.
