Somalia embassy denies owing contractor $256,000 in Nairobi

NAIROBI, Kenya - Somalia has denied claims that it owes a contractor up to the tune of $257,000 for the renovation of its embassy in Nairobi, following a lawsuit against the Horn of Africa nation in which the claimer is seeking full compensation for the alleged work.

Mohamud Ahmed Nur Tarsan, Somalia’s former ambassador to Kenya, termed the allegations 'null and void' while maintaining that he fully paid the contractor, adding that the claims were 'baseless and devoid of facts'.

The former ambassador said the contractor was not genuine with the lawsuit, arguing that he handed over to the current ambassador without any debts. Lawyers have been dispatched to court to engage the litigant.

“I wrote a letter to the new ambassador that I have no debt in the embassy, ​​no debt of any kind, whether it is salary or anything else relating to contracts,” the former ambassador said.

A local court in Kenya dismissed an application by Somalia’s Attorney General which sought to lift an order attaching the embassy's accounts to the debts. The contractor is a Kenyan national, and details have emerged.

The order that had been granted to Kingsley Construction Limited in the previous year had attached Somalia’s accounts at Premier Bank Limited. The company had sued Somalia for breach of contract on the renovation of the embassy in Nairobi.

But Somalia challenged the ruling, arguing that it enjoys diplomatic immunity, terming the decision illegal. However, Justice Mabeya rejected this argument, asserting that Somalia cannot invoke sovereign immunity to evade legal accountability for its commercial dealings.

Tarsan served as an ambassador since 2018 and is credited for fostering a cordial relationship between the two countries. Kenya is a major security stakeholder in Somalia and the two nations work closely on matters of trade and partnerships.

GAROWE ONLINE