The Shabelle Media Network (SMN) has uncovered alarming allegations of political interference in World Bank-funded projects in Somalia where workers are reportedly being pressured to step aside in favour of politically selected individuals who lack the necessary professional competencies.
Documents reviewed by Shabelle Media reveal a troubling pattern where workers are first targeted with baseless and fabricated allegations. They are then dismissed without due process, violating Somalia's labour laws and World Bank regulations.
The most egregious cases originate from Hirshabelle and the Federal Ministry of Public Works. Although the Ministry of Public Works has resolved the issue of an unfair dismissal attempt by reinstating the concerned worker, Shabelle has learned that other workers in World Bank-funded projects live in constant fear of dismissal due to these corrupt practices.
The project heavily impacted is the Bank's Somalia Water for Rural Resilience Project 'Barwaaqo', which is led by the Federal Ministry of Planning, Investment and Economic Development. Hirshabelle, like all other Federal Member States, is a beneficiary of the project. As a result, Hirshabelle is now applying coercive, unilateral and unprocedural actions towards the project staff, favouring an unqualified person who is politically preferred for the job. However, these acts are not limited to Hirshabelle, whose case is now widely discussed.
Government officials at both the federal level and in Hirshabelle, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, confirmed that the false accusations against "hardworking and innocent" workers are a tactic to replace them with individuals favoured by political leaders. This move, they say, is designed to divert World Bank funds into corrupt initiatives.
Shabelle has received credible information that a recent hire for a World Bank project in Hirshabelle secured the position through a falsified CV. The individual's CV was filled with qualifications and experiences they did not actually possess. This scheme, which a senior Hirshabelle official termed "deception," was reportedly orchestrated by senior officials in Hirshabelle to present the individual as qualified to meet the expected requirements and to help micromanage the recruitment of other project staff as well as channelling project funds as desired by the political leadership.
Even when these politically motivated allegations against innocent workers are proven to be baseless, attempts are made to coerce the concerned worker into resigning "voluntarily" through draft resignation texts originating from Hirshabelle's political leadership. Shabelle was able to obtain evidence of this politically motivated move to unlawfully and unfairly dismiss a worker to gain control over World Bank-funded programmes.
Hirshabelle political leaders implicated in these cases have avoided responding to Shabelle Media Network's inquiries, highlighting the gravity of the situation. An aide to Ali Guudlawe Hussein, President of Hirshabelle, who wished to remain anonymous due to fear for his job, described the case as an "uncontrollable scandal". He added that Hirshabelle leaders are busy attempting to mitigate the damage by hiring spin doctors to kill the spread of the scandal, paying social media influencers to cover it up and using clan linkages. According to the Aide, these actions will only exacerbate the situation.
The Federation of Somali Trade Unions (FESTU) has condemned this unfair treatment and confirmed awareness of cases where workers were targeted for refusing to comply with demands for illegitimate payments, awarding contracts to preferred service providers, or hiring individuals close to political leaders.
FESTU General Secretary, Omar Faruk Osman, stated that there is a clear campaign to remove committed, qualified and professional workers from these projects without following due process. This allows politically favoured individuals to take their places, using fabricated documents and enables politicians to benefit financially from the projects.
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Due to the political nature of the cases, FESTU expressed confidence in Federal Minister of Finance Bihi Iman Egeh and Federal Minister of Planning Mohamud Beenebeene, who oversee the development programmes of the country, especially the national programmes funded by the World Bank. The trade unions believe these federal ministers understand the importance of recruiting workers based on merit and integrity and hope they will stand against these political pressures to end these abuses.
"We want the workers of these important and nationally useful programmes to carry out their noble duties freely, professionally and without fear of retaliation so that they can achieve the project's desired objectives and strictly follow the rules laid down by the World Bank and the laws of Somalia. As a workers' organisation, we are prepared to unapologetically defend them and mobilise national and international actions to support the victimised workers, including those who remain silent and fear for their jobs, regardless of their employer," added the labour leader.
