MOGADISHU, Somalia (AXADLE) – Salah Jama, the Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia, faced the boot from the Upper House of the Federal Parliament on Saturday. This decision came after an investigating body found that he had been pocketing payments for a whopping two years without bothering to turn up for parliamentary duties.
Somalia’s government is heavily bankrolled by international generosity. Almost all civil servants and key officials, right up to the bigwigs, get their payslips and perks courtesy of the World Bank and IMF. These funds trickle in from the hard-earned taxes of folks in Europe, the USA, and the UK.
Over the weekend, Senate Speaker Abdi Hashi Abdullahi signed off on a directive booting Mr. Jama from his position, Seat UH 50, which he occupied on behalf of North Western State of Somalia, according to a report by Kaab TV.
“Mr. Salah Ahmed Jama failed to show up for four consecutive sittings of the Upper House while still enjoying his paycheck,” Speaker Abdi Hashi stated.
Hence, the baton was passed to Ibrahim Idle Suleyman, who previously threw his hat in the ring and was the standby candidate, to claim Seat UH 50.
“According to Article 19 (4) of the procedural rules of the Upper House, missing two consecutive meetings means saying goodbye to the seat,” the Speaker’s decree elaborated.
The representatives for North Western State of Somalia, distinguished through a unique process established during the 2021 elections, are picked indirectly from Mogadishu.
North Western State of Somalia, claiming its independence, does not acknowledge the parliamentarians representing it in the Somali Parliament.
The Speaker added that since there wasn’t any federal state government that put Mr. Jama in as a representative, the seat naturally went to Mr. Suleyman, belonging to the same clan as Jama.
In another hat, Mr. Jama was also juggling responsibilities as Deputy Prime Minister, earning stipends from both roles.
Despite his absence from House sittings and lack of activity, he still cashed in his senatorial paycheck and allowances, mainly supported by Western international aid.
Whether Mr. Jama will be asked to cough up the funds remains a mystery.
Typically, Somali officials skirting the law have not been compelled to pay back pilfered funds, with corruption having its claws deeply sunk into governmental proceedings.
