EXCLUSIVE: Somali PM’s mini reshuffle linked to corruption

MOGADISHU, Somalia - In one of the unprecedented moves, Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble Sunday reshuffled his cabinet, amid an ongoing pre-election stalemate, which has triggered uncertainty in Somalia's political landscape in recent months.

The Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Duran Farah swapped positions with Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Mohamed Salat but curiously, no reason has been given for the changes by the outgoing government of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo.

But sources have intimated to Garowe Online that the move was catapulted by massive corruption on Khat imports from Ethiopia, which have reportedly painted the Ministry of Transport and Aviation in a bad light.

According to reports, a dispute erupted between immediate former Minister for Transport and Civil Aviation Mohamed Abdullahi Salad [Omaar] and Mogadishu’s based Khat merchants who distribute the stimulant drug.

The sources confirmed to Garowe Online that the businessmen, who are mostly close relatives to Prime Minister Roble, have demanded that Omar should be replaced by Duran Ahmed Farah, the Labor minister.

"The prime minister, in compliance with the demands of Khat distributors and in consultation with the president, has replaced the two ministers," said a source privy to the fraud scandal. 

Omar, according to available information, was the brain behind the Ethiopian Khat importation in Somalia amid high demand in the market after the government banned Miraa imports from Kenya. He had entered into a contract with Ethiopian traders to import Khat from Ethiopia, with Ethiopian Airlines being the carrier.

And Hassan Farmajo, the brother of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, Ali Yare, the deputy Mogadishu security officer, and an anonymous businessman are also believed to be the forces behind the cartels behind the illicit trade.

"Hassan Farmajo's role was to sign the necessary documents from the president," the sources added, in what could now open a pandora box on the country's suspicious politics and fading trust among the political elites.

Ethiopian Khat earns $ 75,000 a day in both the service and taxes according to information sourced from Somalia's customs department. Of that amount, $ 40,000 is received by the Ministry of Finance, while the remaining $ 35,000 is shared by Omar, Hassan Farmajo, Ali Yare, and some allocated to fund social media trolls and campaign against Farmajo’s critics.

"Omar's contribution to the market for Ethiopian Khat in Somalia has earned him $ 7,500 a day - meaning he was earning $ 225,000 a month," added those close to the contract, whose details remain secretive.

Kenyan Khat was the most widely used in Somalia. However, the move by the Farmajo administration to impose the ban based on Covid-19 is believed to be based on the marketing of Ethiopian Khat and private individuals through a service provider.

The government has not directly responded to the latest claims which would raise political temperatures besides eliciting emotions and corruption in the country's financial resources, including the airport. 

GAROWE ONLINE