Somali community inaugurates house honoring former President Farmaajo in Merca as presidency disputes claim over fundraising halt
Community elders and residents on Saturday inaugurated a house built in honor of former Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo in the Ceeljaalle area of Merca town, Lower Shabelle region, a project organizers said was funded entirely by donations from Somalis at home and abroad.
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The house was constructed under the “Thank You President” campaign, a nationwide fundraising initiative that its coordinators described as a public recognition of Farmaajo’s leadership and his role in peacebuilding and reconciliation. Ceeljaalle is among the areas cleared of al-Shabab during Farmaajo’s presidency and later incorporated into reconciliation efforts led by the federal government at the time, according to organizers.
Campaign leaders framed the project as a sign of civic engagement and what they called public appreciation for transparency, good governance and national trust promoted during Farmaajo’s term in office. They said contributions flowed from a broad cross-section of Somalis inside the country and in the diaspora, underscoring a willingness to support leaders perceived to have served the public interest.
Farmaajo thanked those who contributed to the campaign and cast the effort as a marker of public ownership of the state.
“I thank all Somali citizens, both civilians and members of the armed forces, who took part in this campaign,” he said at the ceremony. “You have sent a clear message that governance belongs to all citizens, and that people are ready to sacrifice when they see leadership that serves their interests and works to restore Somali nationhood.”
Farmaajo also said current President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud had asked him to halt fundraising for the house, a request he said he accepted. The Somali Presidency publicly rejected that account.
In a statement, the presidency’s director of communications and media relations, Abdiaziz Golfyare, said there had been no discussion between the two leaders regarding the construction.
“There was no discussion between President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and former President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo concerning the house said to have been built in Merca,” Golfyare said, calling the claim inaccurate.
Golfyare added that at the time Farmaajo alleged such talks took place, President Hassan Sheikh was focused on national priorities including military operations against al-Shabab, efforts to secure debt relief, lifting the international arms embargo on Somalia, strengthening diplomatic relations and rebuilding state institutions.
Organizers said the groundbreaking ceremony for the project took place on March 21, 2023. They put construction costs at $295,000, with total contributions from Somali citizens reaching about $300,000. The initiative’s managers did not immediately provide details about the remaining funds.
The inauguration in Ceeljaalle comes amid ongoing debates over the legacy of successive Somali administrations and the role of public fundraising in political life. Merca, a strategic coastal town in Lower Shabelle, has long been a focal point of conflict and political symbolism, and the project has drawn both praise and criticism, reflecting the country’s deeply polarized landscape.
Supporters of the “Thank You President” drive describe the house as a civic gesture acknowledging progress they associate with Farmaajo’s tenure, particularly in security and reconciliation in areas reclaimed from al-Shabab. Critics, however, have questioned the propriety of mobilizing public resources for a monument-style project tied to a political figure, arguing that communities face urgent needs in security, livelihoods and services. Organizers counter that the funds were voluntarily raised for a specific purpose that donors endorsed.
While the dispute over whether the current president sought to halt the fundraising remains unresolved, Saturday’s ceremony highlighted the resonance of symbolic projects in Somalia’s political culture and the increasing visibility of citizen-led initiatives. The house in Ceeljaalle, its backers say, is intended to stand as a community-led tribute—and a reminder of how ordinary Somalis continue to shape the national conversation through grassroots campaigns.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
