Somalia Selects Nine Lawmakers to East African Legislative Assembly in Historic First

Somalia elects nine EALA lawmakers, taking its full seat in East Africa’s regional house

Somalia’s parliament has elected nine lawmakers to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), a procedural step with outsized symbolism. Less than a year after joining the East African Community (EAC), Mogadishu now has a voice in the bloc’s lawmaking chamber in Arusha, Tanzania — where rules on trade, movement, and regional cooperation are hammered out.

The joint sitting of both Houses at Villa Hargeisa in Mogadishu capped months of preparation that began after legislators ratified Somalia’s EAC accession law in February 2024. A special five-member committee, chaired by MP Mohamed Abdullahi Hassan (Nuuh) and deputized by Senator Zamzam Ibrahim Ali, sifted through nominations, vetted candidates and compiled the final slate for the vote. Lawmakers described the process as a deliberate effort to ensure transparency and to get Somalia’s delegation in place before key EALA sessions later this year.

Who goes to Arusha

Somalia’s nine EALA members are:

• Hussein Hassan Mohamed
• Ilhaan Ali Gasar
• Faysal Abdi Roble
• Abdisalaam Hadliye
• Abdirahman Bashir Sharif
• Fahma Ahmed Nur
• Fadumo Abdullahi
• Abukar Mardaadi
• Sahra Ali Hassan

They join counterparts from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo in a chamber that crafts laws to deepen integration — from customs rules and standards to the free movement of people and services. EALA isn’t the final stop in the EAC’s legislative pipeline, but it is the forum where the region negotiates the practical steps that make a common market real.

From admission to action

Somalia’s accession to the East African Community was formally approved by regional heads of state in November 2024. The political decision was the easy part. What followed was the slow grind of alignment: ratifying the treaty, naming a parliamentary committee, and now sending lawmakers to Arusha. Along the way, Mogadishu has tried to show it is serious about fitting in. Earlier this year, it hosted the East African Cooperation Conference (EACON 2025), drawing hundreds of delegates to map out priorities in trade and connectivity. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has also said Swahili — the region’s lingua franca — will enter Somali school and university curricula to smooth cultural and linguistic ties.

That language shift is more than symbolism. In a region where commerce often travels as easily by WhatsApp voice note as by road, words matter. Somali entrepreneurs already buy and sell with partners in Nairobi and Kampala; learning the language spoken on the conference floor and at border posts is a practical investment.

Why this matters for ordinary Somalis

Regional integration can sound like the stuff of communiqués and photo-ops. But EAC decisions ripple outward quickly. If EALA updates rules to ease cross-border trucking, reduce inspection bottlenecks, or harmonize fees, the cost of getting Somali livestock to Ugandan markets or Kenyan textiles into Mogadishu could fall. If the bloc agrees on mutual recognition of professional qualifications, nurses and engineers trained in Mogadishu could find it easier to work around the region. If mobile money wallets roam and interoperate across borders, remittances and trade payments become faster and cheaper for families and traders.

Somalia also brings assets to the table: an extended coastline critical to shipping routes; a dynamic, mobile money–driven economy; and a young population with entrepreneurial instincts. For East Africa, a more plugged-in Somalia promises new maritime trade opportunities and a bigger, more connected regional marketplace.

The road to integration runs through hard policy

Today’s vote gives Somalia a voice at EALA. Tomorrow’s work will be about aligning domestic laws with EAC obligations. That means translating regional commitments into Somali statutes and procedures — from customs management and competition policy to sanitary and phytosanitary standards that affect everything from camel exports to fish processing.

It also means addressing old frictions with new tools. Non-tariff barriers remain stubborn across the region; traders speak of unpredictable road checks and shifting paperwork rules. Somalia’s ports — Mogadishu, Kismayo, Bosaso — will need to plug into EAC systems for customs data and risk management. Border posts require investment and coordination to make “one-stop” clearance real. Security concerns and cross-border smuggling complicate the picture. None of these challenges is uniquely Somali; what matters is whether the country uses its seat in Arusha to push for practical fixes and timelines.

Signals from Mogadishu

There are signs that Somalia wants to meet the region halfway. The Swahili-in-schools plan hints at a longer-term commitment to cultural fluency. Universities are looking at regional exchange programs. Telecom and fintech firms — the lifeblood of Somalia’s cashless economy — are in early conversations about interoperability with their East African peers. These are the quiet, unglamorous steps that turn treaties into everyday convenience for citizens.

And there is a generational energy behind this moment. In Mogadishu, young entrepreneurs talk about building apps that serve customers from Hargeisa to Kampala; musicians swap flows with peers in Dar es Salaam; football fans track regional derbies alongside European leagues. Integration is already a lived reality at the street level. The state is now catching up.

What to watch next

• When Somalia’s EALA members take their oaths in Arusha and the first bills or committees they join.
• The timetable for Somalia to adopt EAC protocols on the customs union and common market.
• Concrete steps to digitize customs processes at Mogadishu, Kismayo, and Bosaso ports to match EAC standards.
• Progress on easing visas, mutual recognition of IDs, and qualifications for students and professionals.
• Maritime and border security cooperation that protects trade while curbing illicit flows.

Regional blocs often live and die in the distance between ambition and implementation. Somalia’s election of nine EALA lawmakers narrows that distance. It’s a technocratic milestone, yes, but also a nod to a wider truth: East Africa’s future prosperity will depend on how deftly its neighbors write rules together — and how faithfully they follow through. Somalis have long traded across these borders; now their legislators will help write the rules of the road.

For a country keen to turn a page from crisis to connection, that seat in Arusha is more than an empty chair. It is a chance, finally, to speak and be heard in the region where its fate increasingly lies.

By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.