Somaliland Government Intervened in a Scandal Marring Hargeisa Municipality Leadership
The Central Government of Somaliland has stepped in to resolve a dispute that resulted in an altercation at the location where a stone laying for the 26 June District Headquarters was intended to occur.
Hargeisa Municipality began on Friday, April 26 the construction of 26 June District Headquarters, which will be erected at the second-largest livestock market in Hargeisa located in front of the building known as “Xisbiga” which is close to Gobanimo market,
When site clearance operations began without providing the public with any notice, Local Councilmen representing the constituencies and police officers following out orders from the Office of the Mayor of Hargeisa, Abdikarim Ahmed, clashed leading to a confrontation. Mayor Mooge is currently traveling overseas right now.
Three members of the Hargeisa Local Council were detained by police on Friday for resisting the local government’s proposal to evict the poor from a location set aside for a new headquarter building. These local council members were chosen from the June 26 district’s constituency.
The local government’s plan was also denounced by MP Barkhad Jama Batuun, a member of the Somaliland House of Representatives, who called it inappropriate. He promised to lead a nonviolent protest and called for the protection of the impacted individuals.
Abdikarin Ahmed Mooge, the mayor of Hargeisa and a personal friend of MP Barkhad Batuun, quickly reacted to Batuun’s criticism by reiterating his dedication to the welfare of the populace.
Even though the local council members were freed from jail, their incarceration exposed a serious dispute inside the Hargeisa Local Council, and it appears that the mayor of Hargeisa alone had the final say in the decision to proceed with the building.
Mustafe Ali Mohamud Godane, Somaliland’s Minister of Public Works and Housing, stated in an interview with Sky TV today that the government has stepped in and is working to find a resolution to the conflict around the location of the 26 June Headquarter.
“The Ministry of Public Works stepped in and assumed control of the situation. We have already lowered the tension after our meeting with the people and scheduled a time for us to all sit down. God willing, the collaboration between the Ministry of Public Works and the Local Government would yield positive results, stated Minister Mustafa. However, he pointed out that the Local Government ought to have notified the local businesses of its plan prior to its implementation.
Those who conduct business there, some of whom talked to the media, have stated this project is exclusive to the Mayor of Hargeisa, Abdikarim Ahmed Mooge, who is being accused of removing the second-largest livestock market from the capital city.
The Hargeisa Municipal Council has been debating the local government’s proposal to erect the 26 June district administrative headquarters on this plot of land for a while now and the district’s councilors opposed the idea to move the underprivileged residents who operate small businesses in there.
This incident coincides with the time when the Mayor of Hargeisa is on a business trip to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Mayor Moge also went on a foreign trip during the controversy over the reconstruction and planning of Waaheen Market.
Whatever the case, this episode has exposed the tension between the Hargeisa Local Council and Mayor Mooge’s leadership in terms of management, since it could have been avoided with communication and compromise between the concerned councilmen and the Mayor.
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